Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Construction
-
April 29, 2024
Builders Say State Rulemaking At Stake In Mich. PFAS Case
A homebuilders' group has backed industrial giant 3M in urging the state's highest court to preserve a lower court ruling wiping out limits on forever chemicals, with a trade group official saying the decision could affect other state agency rulemaking.
-
April 29, 2024
Ga. Judge Won't Approve $37K Settlement In FLSA Suit
A Georgia federal judge has refused to approve a settlement between a corporate office furnisher and a former employee who says he was fired after complaining about being stiffed for hundreds of hours of compensable work, finding two provisions in the deal make it impossible to approve.
-
April 29, 2024
Connecticut Quarry Crushed By Politics Gets Extra $1.2M
The town of East Haven, Connecticut, and two former officials must pay an additional $1.2 million to a rock quarry that was forced to shutter due a purported political maneuver ahead of the 2017 mayoral race, on top of an existing award of $9.46 million in damages for lost profits, a federal judge has ruled.
-
April 29, 2024
DOJ Not Required To Probe Alleged Bias In Boston Contracts
A Boston federal judge won't second-guess a U.S. Department of Justice decision not to investigate allegations of systemic racism in the city's municipal contracting practices, deferring to the department's finding that it lacked jurisdiction for the claims.
-
April 29, 2024
IRS To Open $6B 2nd Round Of Advanced Energy Tax Credits
The IRS will start taking applications May 28 from project owners seeking to get part of a $6 billion second round of tax credits for developments that will support the clean energy industry, such as solar glass manufacturing and metal recycling facilities, the agency said Monday.
-
April 26, 2024
Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar
In the past year, plaintiffs have won settlements and judgments for millions and billions of dollars from companies such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Facebook and Fox News, with many high-profile cases finally wrapping up after years of fighting. Such cases — involving over-the-top compensation packages, chemical contamination, gender discrimination and data mining — were led by attorneys whose accomplishments earned them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2024.
-
April 26, 2024
Support For 9th Circ. Rehearing In Oak Flat Dispute Mounting
At least 100 religious and nonprofit groups, law scholars, Native American coalitions and tribes are urging the Ninth Circuit to consider a full panel en banc hearing on a challenge to block a copper mining company from destroying a sacred Indigenous religious site in central Arizona.
-
April 26, 2024
Real Estate Authority: Homelessness, PFAS, Flood Zones
Law360 Real Estate Authority covers the most important real estate deals, litigation, policies and trends. Catch up on this week's key developments by state — as well as on U.S. Supreme Court arguments over local homelessness policies, real estate attorney reactions to new rules on "forever chemicals," and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's latest take on building standards in flood zones.
-
April 26, 2024
Panama Canal Project Fight Sent Back To Chancery
A Delaware federal judge on Thursday remanded litigation arising from a lucrative port project near the Panama Canal in an order that also notes his "deep concerns" over a theory that the dispute belongs in arbitration, made by the companies accused of stealing control of the project.
-
April 26, 2024
Pacific Territories Temporarily Freed From 'Buy America' Rules
The Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and American Samoa are exempt from "Buy America" requirements for certain federally funded infrastructure projects until March 2025, according to a policy the U.S. Department of Transportation released Friday to reduce the far-flung territories' infrastructure costs.
-
April 26, 2024
Colo. House OKs Lower Age For Historic Structure Tax Credit
Colorado would reduce the age requirement for the properties eligible for the state's historic structures tax credit, postpone its sunset and make other changes under legislation approved by the state House on Friday.
-
April 25, 2024
Ariz. Tribes, Groups Seek Stay In SunZia Power Line Ruling
Native American tribes and environmentalists are asking an Arizona federal district court for an emergency injunction that would stay a ruling that rejected their bid to block work on SunZia's $10 billion transmission line while they appeal the decision, arguing that construction is already going ahead in culturally sensitive locations.
-
April 25, 2024
9th Circ. Upholds $1.7M Injury Verdict Against Genie
Equipment manufacturer Genie Industries Inc. can't upend a jury verdict and a $1.7 million judgment awarded to a Portland, Oregon, shipyard worker who was injured by the company's allegedly defective lift boom, the Ninth Circuit has ruled, rejecting the arguments that he failed to prove his injuries were permanent.
-
April 25, 2024
McDermott Judge U-Turns, Says Some Investors Deserve Cert.
A Texas federal magistrate judge reversed his recommendation that investors be denied class certification in litigation over McDermott International's $6 billion merger with Chicago Bridge & Iron, saying a former CB&I shareholder class "should be certified now" and a putative McDermott stock purchaser class be created for subsequent consideration.
-
April 25, 2024
Ex-Philly Union Leader's 3rd Trial Ends In Deadlock
A Pennsylvania federal jury on Thursday night was unable to reach a verdict in the government's case alleging former Philadelphia labor leader John Dougherty threatened a Live! Casino construction contractor with "financial ruin" if he didn't pay his electrician nephew for work he didn't perform, marking a mistrial for the previously twice-convicted union figurehead and his relative.
-
April 25, 2024
Atty Sued For Malpractice Can't Rep His Firm, Ex-Client Says
A Seattle real estate broker suing her former attorney for allegedly botching arbitration proceedings has told a Washington state judge that that attorney can't both be a defendant and represent his firm in their counterclaims for unpaid fees.
-
April 25, 2024
Court Brushes Off Door Co.'s Bid To Hasten Duty Refund
The U.S. Court of International Trade backed U.S. Customs and Border Protection's timeline for unwinding duties on door thresholds from Vietnam after the agency reversed a previous evasion finding, saying CBP's redetermination became final after the court's approval.
-
April 25, 2024
FERC Says National Grid Held Up To Winter Weather
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission revealed during its monthly meeting Thursday that the nation's electric grid and natural gas systems largely operated without any major incidents when severe winter weather swept across the country in January, marking a stark improvement from previous winter storms.
-
April 25, 2024
US Says Seizure Power Erodes Landowner's Border Wall Suit
The federal government told the Fifth Circuit that its eminent domain authority should defeat a landowner's claims that she owns a $6.5 million section of border wall that was allegedly built on her farm without authorization in 2008.
-
April 25, 2024
Biden Permitting Reform To Fast-Track Power Line Approvals
Streamlined federal permitting for electric transmission projects is expected to shave years off the authorization process and speed up development of new power connections, according to a final new rule released on Thursday by the Biden administration.
-
April 25, 2024
3 Things Attys Should Know About Pa.'s $48B Spending Plan
Several areas of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's proposed $48 billion budget for 2024-2025 could result in more work for the legal industry, including more opportunities for crafting economic development deals, getting a recreational cannabis industry off the ground, and speeding up environmental permit applications, experts tell Law360.
-
April 25, 2024
Treasury Finalizes Rules On Sales Of Green Energy Credits
The U.S. Department of the Treasury released final rules Thursday to facilitate the sale or transfer of clean energy tax credits by project owners under a new way to monetize the incentives created by the 2022 landmark climate law.
-
April 24, 2024
Construction Supplier Threatened Us, Distribution Execs Say
Current and former executives for construction distribution companies told a Denver jury Wednesday they believed a Berkshire Hathaway-owned construction supply company pressured them not to do business with a smaller rival, with one witness saying he initially stuck with the Berkshire supplier because it didn't seem like an "idle threat."
-
April 24, 2024
DOL Says Firm 'Repeatedly' Misclassified Highway Workers
The U.S. Department of Labor recently determined that a subcontractor "repeatedly misclassified" employees who worked on 25 federal highway construction projects in Pennsylvania, according to a notice filed in Pennsylvania federal court Wednesday in a lawsuit against three construction firms.
-
April 24, 2024
Insurer Wants Other Carrier's Third-Party Coverage Suit Axed
An insurer asked a Colorado federal court to toss Acuity's third-party suit alleging breach of contract in a coverage dispute over a construction defect arbitration proceeding, saying the claim failed because there is no privity of contract between the two carriers.
Expert Analysis
-
How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI
When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.
-
How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth
Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.
-
How To Create A California-Compliant Piece-Rate Pay Policy
Piece-rate compensation can encourage worker efficiency and productivity, but California has special rules for employers that use this type of pay plan, so careful execution and clear communication with employees is essential for maintaining compliance, says Ashley Paynter at Riley Safer.
-
Series
ESG Around The World: Australia
Clive Cachia and Cathy Ma at K&L Gates detail ESG-reporting policies in Australia and explain how the country is starting to introduce mandatory requirements as ESG performance is increasingly seen as a key investment and corporate differentiator in the fight for global capital.
-
What New EPA Enforcement Initiatives Mean For Industry
With the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent announcement that climate change, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and coal ash will be major investigation and enforcement targets in the coming years, the oil and gas, chemical, and waste management sectors should anticipate increased scrutiny, say Jonathan Brightbill and Madalyn Feiger at Winston & Strawn.
-
Bat's Newly Endangered Status Likely To Slow Development
A recent change in the classification of the northern long-eared bat from "threatened" to "endangered" could have significant effects on development in large portions of the Eastern and Southeastern U.S. — and in the absence of straightforward guidelines, developers will have to assess each project individually, says Peter McGrath at Moore & Van Allen.
-
Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics
X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.
-
Opinion
Laws Based On Rapid Drug Tests Are Unscientific And Unfair
Given the widespread legalization of marijuana, states are increasingly implementing laws to penalize drivers under the influence of drugs, but the laws do more harm than good as the rapid tests they rely on do not accurately measure impairment, say Josh Bloom and Henry Miller at the American Council on Science and Health.
-
Self-Disclosure Lessons From Exemplary Corp. Resolutions
With scant examples of corporate resolutions in the wake of U.S. Department of Justice self-disclosure policy changes last fall, companies may glean helpful insights from three recent declination letters, as well as other governmental self-reporting regimes, say Lindsey Collins and Kate Rumsey at Sheppard Mullin.
-
The Heat Is On For Calif. Employers Under New OSHA Rules
California's Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently proposed rules would require significant efforts from employers in order to create heat safety protections for indoor workers — so they should take initiative now to get in compliance and ensure a safe and cool working environment, says Eric Fox at Quarles & Brady.
-
Offshore Wind Auction Results Portend Difficulties In Gulf
Results of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management's recent auction of the Gulf of Mexico lease areas tell different stories about the future of offshore wind in the U.S., with the Gulf’s low interest suggesting uncertainty and the Mid-Atlantic’s strong interest suggesting a promising market, say attorneys at K&L Gates.
-
ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act
While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
-
Bid Protest Spotlight: Unfair Advantage, Buy American Waiver
In this month's bid protest roundup, James Tucker at MoFo offers takeaways on one decision that considers unfair proposal development advantages in the context of an employee's access to nonpublic information in a prior federal government position, and another decision that reconsiders a contract award based on an inadequately supported waiver of Buy American Act restrictions.
-
Prevailing Wage Rules Complicate Inflation Act Tax Incentives
Nicole Elliott and Timothy Taylor at Holland & Knight discuss the intersection between tax and labor newly created by the Inflation Reduction Act, and focus on aspects of recent U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of the Treasury rules that may catch tax-incentive seekers off guard.
-
Regulators Must Get Creative To Keep Groundwater Flowing
Even as populations have boomed in Sun Belt states like Arizona, California and Texas, groundwater levels have diminished due to drought and overuse — so regulators must explore options including pumping limits, groundwater replenishment and wastewater reuse to ensure future supplies for residential and commercial needs, says Jeffrey Davis at Integral Consulting.