Recently, the neighbor dispute lawyers at the Katz Law Group successfully brought a lawsuit against the town of Warren, Massachusetts, and the members of its town board over the tolling of the bells in the municipal clock tower. The sound of bells ringing came from huge speakers in the clock towe...
The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (SJC) recently heard oral arguments in a crucial case in construction law that deals with the terms of the Massachusetts Prompt Pay Act (PPA), G.L. c. 149, § 29E. The implications of the eventual ruling could be sizeable. The construction lawyers at th...
A new Massachusetts state law has gone into effect that requires covered employers to disclose the pay range for positions at their company, and to send their Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Data Reports to the state. The business and contract attorneys at the Katz Law Group are helping busin...
The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently handed down a decision that touched on both defamation and contract law, particularly tortious interference in a contract, or when a party wrongfully mingles with another party's business opportunities. Bad Business Review Leads to Litigation The facts o...
Recently, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts took a case about the intersection of non-solicitation agreements and non-compete clauses under the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act. In the ruling, the Supreme Judicial Court made it clear that the Act did not apply to non-solicitat...
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently weighed in on a pressing, even if theoretical, legal issue in business and contract law: When a legal claim is based on contract law or tort law, also known as personal injury law. The business and contract attorneys at the Katz Law Group explain...
A recent Massachusetts Superior Court case shows how construction law will bend a bit to accommodate the enforcement of a mechanic's lien against a construction project. Property Under Lien Suspiciously Transferred to New Entity The case, Timberline Enterprises, Inc. v. Onyx Development & Manag...
The Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the state's leading legal publication, recently turned to real estate attorney David Katz for his insight on a new Superior Court ruling concerning commercial lease agreements. Commercial Lease Dispute on Refusing to Pay Rent The case, Waltham Centerpoint I Inv...
In a recent case, the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that commercial general liability policies that cover “property damage” do not cover construction defects left by contractors in homes. The ruling has practical implications for both home builders and buyers, who can no longer expect general...
One of the last laws that the Massachusetts Legislature passed this session was a pay transparency law, bringing the state in line with a recent trend. Here is what the employment lawyers at the Katz Law Group think you need to know about the new law. The Law Requires Both Wage Reporting and Tra...
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued a final rule banning nearly all non-compete agreements. Here is what businesses and workers in Massachusetts need to know and what they can expect. The FTC's Ban on Non-Compete Agreements On April 23, 2024, the FTC voted 3-2 to ban nearly all ...
Attorney David S. Katz has been named a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for the fifth year in a row. The distinction highlights the quality of legal representation that the clients of the Katz Law Group can expect. How Super Lawyers are Chosen Thomson Reuters, a legal publisher and the company ...
No matter how much contract and business law changes in Massachusetts, companies and small businesses are still expected to keep up to date and in compliance with it. For gas stations, grocery stores, cigar shops, and all other retailers that sell tobacco in the state, those compliance requiremen...
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is getting more active in a nascent crackdown on non-compete agreements. After issuing a memo that claimed that non-compete agreements violate the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) back in May, the agency has alleged that the non-competes used by a grou...
The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently ruled on a case involving a commercial lease dispute. At issue was the notice provision in the contract. While the provision was clearly not satisfied, the court nevertheless ruled that actual notice had been received, so the breach of contract was meaning...
For the fourth year running, attorney David S. Katz was named a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for 2023. Super Lawyers: A Distinction for the Leading Lawyers in Their Fields Thomson Reuters is a leading publisher in the legal field that also hosts databases of local attorneys for prospective c...
The Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly recently covered an Appeals Court case involving some behind-the-scenes legal maneuvering by companies to cover the costs of litigation. The publication's reporters turned to David Katz, a business and contract attorney with nearly 40 years of experience in the fi...
Builders and contractors in Massachusetts rely heavily on contracts to define the scope of the work to be performed and what is expected of them. In most cases, everything goes smoothly. However, there are five types of disputes that tend to arise between a general contractor and their subcontrac...
Massachusetts employers, including small businesses, have to comply with state and federal laws regarding paid time off, or PTO. To add to the complexities, not all PTO is treated the same. In this article, the business attorneys at the Katz Law Group summarize the most important things you need...
When Elon Musk bought the social media website Twitter last week, he pledged to make it profitable. In an attempt to do so, he has announced widespread layoffs of Twitter employees. However, a federal law, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, regulates the process for im...
Attorney David S. Katz was recently named a Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters for 2022, the third year in a row that he has been recognized as one of the top business lawyers in the state of Massachusetts. The distinction puts him among the top 5 percent of lawyers in the state, and recognizes his...
A recent Massachusetts case shed light on some practical aspects of enforcing and challenging a non-compete agreement. Businesses in the state seeking to enforce one of these provisions in their employment contract should take note. Business Seeks to Enforce an Unenforceable Non-Compete The cas...
Last Thursday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) made a ruling that is bad news for nearly every business owner in the state: Most forms of business insurance coverage will not cover losses in revenue from the coronavirus pandemic. SJC: Pandemic Revenue Losses Not a “Direct Physical...
Under Massachusetts state law, employers have to correctly classify employees and independent contractors based on how much control they exert over the worker. Meanwhile, under federal regulations, a franchise is a business relationship where the franchisor has the authority to exert a significan...
A recent ruling by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts changes when businesses can effectively limit their liability from unfair trade practice claims filed by other businesses. The case should make companies in the state review their contracts for these provisions and potentially alter t...
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