In August of 2021, Governor McKee signed into law a significant change to Rhode Island’s Deceptive Trade Practices law. Prior to August 2021, the state’s Deceptive Trade Practices law was held to be inapplicable to “all those activities and businesses which are...
PLDO Law Blog
Business
PERSPECTIVE INTO SOUTH FLORIDA’S BUSINESS & COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
If one were to look around South Florida during the past year or so, you might notice that many finance and high-tech companies have relocated to the area from places such as New York and California. Some examples of this migration include the following: Candex, a...
EMPLOYEE RETENTION TAX CREDIT: IRS PROVIDES ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE FOR 2021 Q3 AND Q4
The Employee Retention Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit originally enacted under the CARES Act (the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act), and subsequently amended in the waning days of 2020. The credit can be applied by qualifying employers against...
RISE OF REMOTE WORKFORCE MAY COMPLICATE STATE TAXES FOR EMPLOYERS
The pandemic has undoubtedly changed the landscape for employers and employees, one area is the proliferation of remote workers. Working remotely is not a new concept, but it is now commonplace due to stay-at-home orders kickstarting the remote work movement. While...
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...