The Securities and Exchange Commission (S.E.C.) has authority to investigate violations of federal securities laws and commence enforcement actions if its investigations uncover evidence of wrongdoing. Initially, the S.E.C.'s statutory authority was limited to seeking...
PLDO Law Blog
Adam Greshowak
PROTECT YOUR WORKPLACE AGAINST SPOOFING
We read about companies and individuals being scammed by hacking or spoofing routinely. No business or individual is immune. Spoofing is a technique in which the spoofer goes to great lengths to secure access to user systems and the information behind protective fire...
FIRED EMPLOYEE WHO DISPARAGED BOSS ON FACEBOOK CAN COLLECT UNEMPLOYMENT
The Rhode Island Supreme Court recently awarded unemployment benefits to an employee who was fired for posting disparaging comments about his boss on Facebook. Although the worker was already on thin ice due to a host of issues, the employer ultimately fired him after...
New Regulations Bring Changes To Issue Price Determinations For Tax-Exempt Bonds
The IRS has promulgated new regulations governing the "issue price" of tax-exempt bonds, which will apply to bonds sold on or after June 7, 2017. The regulations were finalized after two earlier versions were proposed and significant feedback was received by the IRS....
YOU’VE BEEN HACKED: SHOULD YOU (OR YOUR INSURER) PAY THE RANSOM?
It’s 4:00pm on a Friday. You get a text message from a colleague saying they can’t log into their email. Then others start texting you with a similar message. Your IT person reports that there’s unusual activity on your computer network and they’re having trouble...
HOW TO AVOID AN UNWELCOME SURPRISE IN YOUR BUSINESS & ESTATE PLANNING STRATEGY
In 2015, the Rhode Island Division of Taxation issued Declaratory Ruling 2015-01. The question at issue was whether a non-Rhode Island resident decedent’s interest in a multi-member LLC that owned real property was sufficient to subject the decedent’s estate to the...
CREATING A POSITIVE CORPORATE CULTURE STARTS AT THE TOP
Corporate culture is defined in many ways; however, it is generally referred to as the shared values and vision of the company that will serve to achieve short and long-term goals of the business enterprise. It is a top-down dynamic that will impact everyone in the...
THE IMPORTANCE OF A SELLER’S CONTRACTS WHEN BUYING A BUSINESS
When purchasing another business, one of the most important aspects of due diligence is reviewing the selling business’ contracts. Often the selling business’ revenue stream is tied to some type of contract. For example, it may get income through services contracts,...
“FRUSTRATION OF PURPOSE” DISCHARGES COMMERCIAL TENANT’S RENT OBLIGATION
While specificity is typically a good thing in contract drafting, sometimes, too much specificity can backfire. A commercial landlord in Boston discovered this recently when the Suffolk County Superior Court discharged rent otherwise owed by a cafe operator during the...
