The Rhode Island Supreme Court once again adhered to its long-standing precedent that arbitration awards will not be overturned but for exceptional circumstances. In ABC Building Corporation d/b/a Advanced Building Concepts v. Ropolo Family, LLC, the plaintiff-general...
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Firm News
SUPREME COURT ISSUES DECISION ON FLSA EXEMPTION
On April 2, 2018, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision on the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") exemption that provides the FLSA's overtime pay requirement does not apply to any salesmen, partsmen, or mechanics primarily engaged in selling or servicing...
PRIOR SALARY HISTORY MAY NOT ALWAYS BE LAWFUL BASIS TO SET PAY
The Equal Pay Act provides that men and women should receive equal pay for equal work. In a recent case, Rizo v. Yovino, No. 16-15372 (Apr. 9, 2018), the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that an employer cannot justify a wage difference...
MA Cannabis Control Commission Opens Application Process for Recreational Marijuana Licenses
On April 2, 2018, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission began taking applications for adult use or recreational use marijuana licenses. The first eligible to apply are considered "Priority Certifications" and are those businesses that are already registered...
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...
