Rhode Island recently joined a growing list of states with laws limiting the ability of employers to use non-compete agreements in the workplace. Employers often insist that employees sign non-compete agreements which would restrict an employee’s ability to work in...
PLDO Law Blog
Employment Law
DOL Issues New Opinion on Expanding Benefits Under The Family Medical Leave Act
With the latest pronouncement by the Department of Labor (“DOL”) regarding the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), employers are wise to review and revise leave policies to ensure that they do not run afoul of the agency’s most recent interpretation of the law. On...
No More Agency Fees for Public Employees
For over forty years, public-sector unions could impose what were known as “agency fees” on non-members. The logic was that a union serving as the exclusive representative of a unit of employees is required to represent the interests of all employees, union member or...
New Law Alert: Use Hands Free Device While Driving in Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s new “hands-free” driving law goes into effect on June 1, 2018. This law prohibits you from holding your phone up to your ear while driving. The law permits the use of “hands-free” devices, such as the phone’s built-in speakerphone, a Bluetooth earpiece...
NON-COMPETE AGREEMENTS IN RHODE ISLAND REMAIN ENFORCEABLE (FOR NOW)
On June 26, 2024, Governor Dan McKee vetoed two bills (S2436 A and H8059 A) that were passed by the General Assembly in the late hours of its final day of the 2024 session. The bills were amendments to the Rhode Island Noncompetition Agreement Act that, if signed into...
ONE RISK YOU SHOULDN’T TAKE IS NOT HAVING THE RIGHT LIFE INSURANCE
If you never return from your sailing trip around the globe or reemerge from the deep ocean depths on the submarine destined for the Titanic, will your family receive the death benefit proceeds from your life insurance policy? That answer, as well as the answer to...
HOW TO BUY ULTRA-DANGEROUS ASSETS
It’s never a good idea to buy an asset, like a boat or plane, in your own name or to have multiple parties on the title. First of all, when your name is on the title, you are personally liable for any damage that the asset may cause. For example, you and Joe own a...
SO, YOU WANT TO WRESTLE AN ALLIGATOR?
Before base jumping into the miasma of risk, the first thing you should do is make sure your estate plan, in its current iteration, meets your needs and has adapted to any challenging or changing family situation. A well-rounded estate plan is literally more of a life...
HOW LIFE INSURANCE PROCEEDS COULD AFFECT A COMPANY’S VALUATION FOR ESTATE TAX PURPOSES
A recent case brought to light the impact that a stock-purchase agreement and life insurance proceeds may – or may not - have on the valuation of a closely held company for estate tax purposes. In this case that caused a split between the 8th and 11th Circuits, the...