Massachusetts SJC Expands Rights of Property Owners in Eminent Domain Cases
5/26/21
By: Marc Finkel In a landmark ruling involving the rights of property owners under the Massachusetts “quick take” eminent domain statute (M.G.L. c. 79), the Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) recently determined that the “quick take” statute allows for a property owner to challenge the validity of the taking while also accepting a pro tanto (partial)…
Massive Unemployment Fraud Brings Some Taxpayers Another Nasty Pandemic Surprise
3/9/21
By: Barry Miller Last spring FMG reported that the pandemic was making accountants attractive targets for hackers. Extended tax deadlines and stimulus checks keyed to tax information created the incentive for fraud. This year, Krebs on Security warns that “The Taxman Cometh for ID Theft Victims.” The issue arises from another pandemic-related issue—massive unemployment insurance…
CDC Issues Relaxed Alternatives to Previous Quarantine Guidelines
12/2/20
By: Margot Parker Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced new quarantine guidelines for people exposed to Covid-19, reducing the previous two-week quarantine time to seven to ten days in asymptomatic cases. While a 14-day quarantine is still “the best way to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19,” the CDC said it…
A Temporary Reprieve for New Jersey Employers: Delay and Changes to the Amended New Jersey WARN Act
7/21/20
By: Stephanie Greenfield Six months ago, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to pass a law obligating employers to provide severance to employees affected by a mass layoff. On January 21, 2020, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy amended the existing New Jersey Worker…
CARES Section 18006 Encourages Schools to Retain Staff to the “Greatest Extent Practicable”
4/27/20
By: Tia Combs As many schools around the country make the final decision to remain closed for the school year, it may be tempting to cut back on staff to save money for what is predicted to be a historic budget shortfall next year. However, the wisdom of that move may be lost when districts…
Summary of Courts Operating Status in FMG Venues
3/30/20
FMG’s Coronavirus Task Force has produced this summary of court orders related to COVID-19 affecting the status of courts in each the jurisdictions served by our offices. This summary of each states includes their federal courts by district, applicable federal court of appeals, state trial courts, state court of appeal, and state supreme court. We…
Webinar series- Business Issues & Coronavirus
3/18/20
Choose your program and register here.
Top 10 Tips For Taking the State Bar
7/1/19
We’ve asked our attorneys for their advice for taking the bar. Here are our top 10 tips. Start studying early and create a study schedule. This can be difficult to do with law school, but if you have a free weekend and some time to catch up on a subject you think you have weaknesses…
Fourteen Seconds Plus Emergency Lights Equals Probable Cause To Arrest
6/11/18
By: Charles Reed There is a saying that “nothing good ever happens after midnight.” Both City of Hollywood, Florida police officer Ronald Cannella and citizen Livingston Manners would become very familiar with this saying after the events of June 24, 2014. On that day, close to three in the morning, Officer Cannella patrolled a residential…
Employers Don’t Have to Report Pay Data on EEO-1 Form
8/30/17
By: Paul H. Derrick As we previously reported, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee put the future of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s revised Form EEO-1 in doubt by inserting a rider into the annual budget proposal that would prohibit the EEOC from spending any funds on its plan to collect pay data from employers on…
Don’t Hand Me No Lines And Keep Your Hands To Yourself.
8/17/17
By: Shaun Daugherty Maybe the Georgia Satellites would consider allowing a cover of their hit “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” for Taylor Swift’s next album. Turns out that the Colorado federal jury believed the victim’s testimony regarding the events that occurred during the photo op in 2013 and unanimously found in her favor Monday, August…
Informed Consent! What Is It Good For? Absolutely Nothing. Say It Again.
8/4/17
By: Shaun Daugherty Ok. That may be a bit extreme. After all, it is in the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics and the concept is addressed in most medical professional organizations guidelines in one form or another. And let’s not forget that it is mandated by statute and common law in most…