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Massachusetts

  • July 18, 2025

    Real Estate Recap: Budget, 2025 Deals, Coney Island Gamble

    Catch up on this past week's key developments by state from Law360 Real Estate Authority — including real estate attorney perspectives on the new federal budget, the law firms that guided the biggest deals of 2025's first half and why one BigLaw attorney is betting on a Coney Island development.

  • July 18, 2025

    Judge Questions Basis For Planned Parenthood Funding Cuts

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday pressed the government for any plausible rationale, besides retaliation, for a provision in Congress' budget reconciliation that will prevent Planned Parenthood and its affiliates from receiving Medicaid reimbursements if any one of them offers abortion services.

  • July 18, 2025

    Mass. Advocates Pitch Doubling Real Estate Transfer Fee

    Massachusetts would double its real estate transfer fee to raise an estimated $300 million annually for affordable housing and climate mitigation efforts under legislation pitched to a state legislative panel by housing and environmental advocates.

  • July 18, 2025

    Judge Unsure Of Alternatives To Nationwide Birthright Ruling

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Friday wrestled with how the government would implement any alternatives to a nationwide block on President Donald Trump's order limiting birthright citizenship and what type of decision would comply with recent high court precedent.

  • July 18, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: Wachtell, Slaughter And May

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, Blackstone pours billions into data centers and related infrastructure, Waters Corp. and Becton Dickinson look to form a new life sciences powerhouse, Reckitt sells 70% of its Essential Home business to private equity firm Advent, and Chevron completes its acquisition of Hess following a favorable arbitral award.

  • July 17, 2025

    21 States Fight ACA Rule They Say Guts Health Coverage

    A 21-state coalition led by the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts and New Jersey sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Thursday, challenging a new Trump administration rule they say unlawfully undermines access to healthcare under the Affordable Care Act.

  • July 17, 2025

    'Troubling': Dems Press ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ Over Nixed Navy Federal Order

    U.S. Senate Democrats are demanding answers from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over its decision to cancel a $95 million enforcement order against Navy Federal Credit Union, slamming the "abrupt reversal" as a betrayal of military families.

  • July 17, 2025

    FedEx Must Face Drivers' OT Suit After Sanctions Bid Fails

    A Massachusetts federal judge on Thursday denied FedEx's motion for sanctions seeking to dismiss one of several overtime lawsuits filed on behalf of drivers who worked for the shipping giant through intermediary employers, rejecting the company's assertion that the litigation seeks to "harass FedEx into settlement."

  • July 17, 2025

    Class Claims Target Anthem's 'Ghost' Provider Networks

    Anthem Health Plans Inc. and its parent Elevance Health Inc. should be held liable for maintaining inaccurate directories of mental health providers that send patients on a "wild-goose chase" to find care, according to a putative class action in Connecticut state court that targets "ghost" networks.

  • July 17, 2025

    Problematic Fund Harmed Health Tech Co. 401(k), Court Told

    Health technology company Philips North America cost workers millions by retaining a stable value investment fund in its $5 billion retirement plan that produced dismal returns for workers and by mismanaging forfeited funds, three workers told a Massachusetts federal court.

  • July 17, 2025

    Mass. Appeals Court Affirms Toss Of Cell Tower Challenge

    A Massachusetts intermediate appellate court affirmed the dismissal of a challenge to permits for a cell tower in the town of Essex, in an unpublished decision Wednesday.

  • July 17, 2025

    Mass. Cities Seek Order Forcing Trash Hauler To Honor Pacts

    Nearly three weeks after Republic Services workers went on strike, six Massachusetts communities went to court Thursday seeking an order compelling the trash hauler to immediately address what they say is a public health nuisance.

  • July 17, 2025

    Robotics Co. Investors Settle De-SPAC Suit For $7.5M In Del.

    Investors in a special purpose acquisition company that took artificial intelligence company Berkshire Grey Inc. public for $2.25 billion in mid-2021 have reported a $7.5 million proposed settlement intended to end a breach of fiduciary duty suit in Delaware's Court of Chancery.

  • July 17, 2025

    Israel Criticism Isn't Antisemitism, Judge Tells DOJ Lawyers

    A Massachusetts federal judge overseeing a free speech trial over deportation actions targeting pro-Palestinian students and faculty said Thursday that "criticism of the state of Israel is not antisemitism," and that even the most "vile" statements, absent threats or violence, are protected by the First Amendment.

  • July 17, 2025

    Mass. Public Defender On Burnout, Bias And Legal Shifts

    Carla Barrett has spent the past 19 years working for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, Massachusetts' public defenders. She told Law360 the job comes with challenges both structural and legal, adding that even among her prosecutorial counterparts, her work can often be misunderstood.

  • July 17, 2025

    Trouble Interpreting Nonverbal Witness Dooms Murder Verdict

    Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday found that a man convicted of murder is entitled to a new trial because a key witness against him is nonverbal and interpreters were not able to effectively communicate with her while she was on the stand.

  • July 17, 2025

    Work Wear Seller Faults 'Heartless' Lender In Chapter 11 Filing

    Work wear and healthcare apparel retailer Work N Gear filed an emergency Chapter 11 petition late Wednesday, accusing a creditor of "heartless conduct" in sweeping funds out of accounts set aside to pay employee healthcare claims.

  • July 16, 2025

    Mass. Judges To Mull Dismissals Amid Defender Pay Standoff

    Nearly two months after many court-appointed attorneys in Massachusetts stopped accepting new cases over what they say is poor pay, a solution still appears elusive, even as judges will soon start hearing motions to dismiss cases under an emergency order issued by a state high court justice.

  • July 16, 2025

    States Push To Keep Nationwide Block On Birthright Order

    A coalition of states told a Massachusetts federal court Tuesday that nothing less than a nationwide injunction can provide complete relief in the states' case against President Donald Trump's executive order targeting birthright citizenship.

  • July 16, 2025

    Court Ditches Deutsche Bank Suit Over Lehman Claim Deal

    A New York federal court has dismissed a Deutsche Bank suit claiming a Boston portfolio management firm is demanding unreasonable terms to close the acquisition of $906 million worth of claims in Lehman Brothers' long-running bankruptcy, finding the court lacked subject matter jurisdiction over the suit.

  • July 16, 2025

    FEMA Targeted In 20-State Suit Over Pre-Disaster Grant Cuts

    A coalition of 20 states led by Washington and Massachusetts sued the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Boston federal court Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of illegally cutting off billions of dollars in grants for proactive disaster mitigation projects across the country.

  • July 16, 2025

    Mass. District Judge, Prosecutor Nominated For Superior Court

    A veteran state district court judge and the chief of appeals for a regional district attorney's office are the latest nominees to the Massachusetts Superior Court, Gov. Maura Healey announced Wednesday.

  • July 15, 2025

    Trump Admin Seeks Win In Harvard $2B Funding Freeze Case

    The Trump administration urged a Massachusetts federal judge Monday to grant it summary judgment in Harvard University's lawsuit challenging the government's effort to freeze $2.2 billion in funding, arguing the dispute is a contract fight that belongs in the Federal Claims Court and the allegations fail on the merits.

  • July 15, 2025

    Trump Admin Fires 17 More Immigration Judges, Union Says

    The Trump administration has fired 17 more immigration judges, bringing the total of immigration judges that have either been terminated, transferred or accepted retirement offers since January to 103, according to an announcement made Tuesday by the union that represents them.

  • July 15, 2025

    Trash Hauler Accused Of Blocking Competitor Amid Strike

    A Massachusetts competitor to trash hauler Allied Waste Systems says the company is interfering with its efforts to offer customers an alternative during a strike that is entering its third week, according to a complaint filed Tuesday in state court.

Expert Analysis

  • 2 Anti-Kickback Developments Hold Lessons For Biopharma

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's Anti-Kickback Statute settlement with QOL Medical and a favorable advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provide a study in contrasts, but there are tips for biopharma manufacturers trying to navigate the vast compliance space between them, says Mary Kohler at Kohler Health Law.

  • In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege

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    Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.

  • ÃÛÌÒÊÓÆµ's Message To States Takes On New Weight Under Trump

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    The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's January guidance to state enforcers has fresh significance as the Trump administration moves to freeze the bureau's work, and industry should expect states to use this series of recommendations as an enforcement road map, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • National Bank Act Rulings Facilitate More Preemption Analysis

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    Two recent National Bank Act preemption decisions from an Illinois federal court and the Ninth Circuit provide the first applications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s May ruling in Cantero v. Bank of America, opening the potential for several circuit courts to address the issue this year, say attorneys at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Collecting Rare Books Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My collection of rare books includes several written or owned by prominent lawyers from early U.S. history, and immersing myself in their stories helps me feel a deeper connection to my legal practice and its purpose, says Douglas Brown at Manatt Health.

  • Emphasize Social Spaces During RE Project Public Review

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    As Boston continues to work through revisions to its public review process for real estate projects, developers attempting to balance impact mitigation and community improvements may benefit from emphasizing the ways in which development plans can facilitate open social exchange, says David Linhart at Goulston & Storrs.

  • Opinion

    Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay

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    Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor's New York Times essay critiquing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for potential ethical violations absolutely cannot be construed as conduct prejudicial to the administration of the business of the courts, says Ashley London at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.

  • Lights, Camera, Ethics? TV Lawyers Tend To Set Bad Example

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    Though fictional movies and television shows portraying lawyers are fun to watch, Hollywood’s inaccurate depictions of legal ethics can desensitize attorneys to ethics violations and lead real-life clients to believe that good lawyers take a scorched-earth approach, says Nancy Rapoport at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

  • Perspectives

    Accountant-Owned Law Firms Could Blur Ethical Lines

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    KPMG’s recent application to open a legal practice in Arizona represents the first overture by an accounting firm to take advantage of the state’s relaxed law firm ownership rules, but enforcing and supervising the practice of law by nonattorneys could prove particularly challenging, says Seth Laver at Goldberg Segalla.

  • AI Will Soon Transform The E-Discovery Industrial Complex

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    Todd Itami at Covington discusses how generative artificial intelligence will reshape the current e-discovery paradigm, replacing the blunt instrument of data handling with a laser scalpel of fully integrated enterprise solutions — after first making e-discovery processes technically and legally harder.

  • When Innovation Overwhelms The Rule Of Law

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    In an era where technology is rapidly evolving and artificial intelligence is seemingly everywhere, it’s worth asking if the law — both substantive precedent and procedural rules — can keep up with the light speed of innovation, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Imagine The Possibilities Of Openly Autistic Lawyering

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    Andi Mazingo at Lumen Law, who was diagnosed with autism about midway through her career, discusses how the legal profession can create inclusive workplaces that empower openly autistic lawyers and enhance innovation, and how neurodivergent attorneys can navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with disclosing one’s diagnosis.

  • Top 10 Healthcare And Life Sciences Issues To Watch In 2025

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    Under the new Trump administration, this coming year may benefit some healthcare and life sciences stakeholders, while creating new challenges for others amid an increasingly complex regulatory environment, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Series

    Documentary Filmmaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Becoming a documentary filmmaker has allowed me to merge my legal expertise with my passion for storytelling, and has helped me to hone negotiation, critical thinking and problem-solving skills that are important to both endeavors, says Robert Darwell at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Litigation Funding Disclosure Debate: Strategy Considerations

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    In the ongoing debate over whether courts should require disclosure of litigation funding, funders and plaintiffs tend to argue against such mandates, but voluntarily disclosing limited details about a funding arrangement can actually confer certain benefits to plaintiffs in some scenarios, say Andrew Stulce and Marc Cavan at Longford Capital.

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