Waking up for the workday, you walk into the kitchen to see a fresh cup of coffee that has been programmed to brew based on your phone's alarm clock. Your MP3 player automatically starts playing some smooth jazz, after having learned that when you wake up this early,...
PLDO Law Blog
Month: July 2015
Prepare Now for Sweeping Changes to Rhode Island’s Identity Protection Law
On June 26, 2015, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed the "Rhode Island Identity Theft Protection Act of 2015" ("Act"), substantially reworking Rhode Island's 2005 data breach and identity protection laws. Although it does not formally take effect until June of...
SCOTUS Saves the Affordable Care Act Again – Tax Credits Available on All Exchanges
On June 25, 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) decided that tax credits will be made available to individuals who purchase health insurance coverage on both federal and state exchanges (on-line marketplaces where people compare and purchase...
CMS Releases Proposed Rule on Modernizing Medicaid
On May 27, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services ("CMS") released a proposed rule that would "modernize the Medicaid managed care regulations to reflect changes in the usage of managed care delivery systems." The first major update to Medicaid managed...
REAL ESTATE TITLE DISPUTES: THE PROCESS OF RECORDING “LIS PENDENS” IN RHODE ISLAND AND MASSACHUSETTS
If you or your business ends up in a dispute over real estate, it is likely that you will encounter a lis pendens. Lis pendens is Latin for “suit pending,” and it means just that, it is a statutorily governed legal tool that is often used to give notice on a...
HIGH STAKES: DRAFTING AND INTERPRETING PAYMENT REJECTIONS UNDER MASSACHUSETTS’ PROMPT PAY ACT
Under the Massachusetts Prompt Pay Act, which governs construction contracts, unless an owner meets the Act's "time and substance" requirements for rejecting a payment application from a contractor (ditto for subcontractors' applications to contractors), that...
RHODE ISLAND SUPREME COURT RULES THAT A PROPERTY’S FORECLOSURE WAS VALID DESPITE PLAINTIFF’S CLAIMS THAT MORTGAGE DOCUMENTS WERE “AMBIGUOUS”
BackgroundA recent case arose out of foreclosure proceedings that were instituted by Wells Fargo Bank (“Wells Fargo” or “defendant”) with respect to property located at 18 High Street in Bristol, Rhode Island. The property’s owner (“plaintiff”) secured the mortgage by...
FDA CONSIDERS RESCHEDULING MARIJUANA: A MILESTONE IN DRUG POLICY REFORM
The landscape of drug policy in the United States is poised for a significant shift as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) undertakes a reassessment of marijuana’s drug scheduling classification. The FDA is conducting a comprehensive review of marijuana’s current...
ARE NON-COMPETITION AGREEMENTS ENFORCEABLE IN RHODE ISLAND?
COURTS RULE IN FAVOR OF THE EMPLOYER’S AGREEMENT IN RECENT CASE The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently addressed the enforceability of a non-competition provision. In Walls v. Griggs & Browne Pest Control, Inc., the Court reviewed an agreement between Brian Walls...
