On April 20, 2017, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Glassie v. Doucette, No. 2014-108-Appeal (R.I. 2017), holding that a Trust beneficiary lacked standing to sue as a third party intended beneficiary of a contract which called for the creation and funding of the...
PLDO Law Blog
Firm News
Wedding “Disasters”: Are Negative Online Reviews Defamation?
Businesses depend on their good reputation, especially in the wedding industry. If customers have a bad experience, it's unlikely that they can simply switch to a different wedding vendor. Instead, customers take to online review platforms like Yelp to express their...
Statute of Limitations versus Contractual Time Periods — An Important Difference
In a recent Rhode Island Supreme Court decision, OSJ of Providence, LLC v. Aly T. Diene, No. 2016-14-A, the court determined that the expiration of a guaranty in a contract did not operate to shorten the applicable statute of limitations to recover for breach of that...
RI Supreme Court Reaffirms that Plain Contract Language Controls in Recent Construction Law Case
The first instinct of a business owner faced with a lawsuit may be to find the best attorney in town. That's a good instinct, but even the best attorneys will tell you that a case begins long before anyone files suit. Protecting your business interests and prevailing...
THE BENEFIT OF PASS-THROUGH ENTITIES
Why do pass-through entities such as LLCs taxed as partnerships remain the entity of choice for most closely held businesses? The primary benefit of operating a business through a pass-through entity, such as an LLC taxed as a partnership, is that the income generated...
APPLE’S CONCERNING NEW TEXT MESSAGE FEATURE
Apple recently released iOS16 for the iPhone. This newest release allows iPhone users running iOS16 to edit and unsend text messages sent between other iOS16 users. While this may be welcome news for those of us who make embarrassing typos or otherwise hit the send...
BUYER’S REMEDY IN REAL ESTATE PURCHASE AND SALE CONTRACT
In a commercial real estate transaction, just as in life, what is fair is not the same as what is equal. Generally, the remedies in a breach of real estate sale agreement are (1) return or retention of a deposit, (2) suit for damages, and (3) the right to sue for...
LAST MINUTE CHANGE TO RI ADULT USE CANNABIS LEGISLATION BENEFITS LICENSED CULTIVATORS
Rhode Island appears to be on a definitive track towards legalization of cannabis and establishing a framework for its adult use industry. More than 15 years after establishing its medical marijuana program and, following years of on-and-off momentum, the Rhode Island...
WORKING CAPITAL IN ASSET DEALS
In an asset sale, the buyer buys a business’ assets in exchange for the purchase price. Then the buyer gets to operate that business, simple, right? In an asset transaction, the transfer of the “business” is often not as simple as signing a document transferring title...
