In NuVasive, Inc. v. Day, the First Circuit recently affirmed a $1.7M award of damages and attorneys’ fees in a noncompete suit brought by a medical device company against one of its former sales representatives. In the appeal, Timothy Day challenged the district...
Business Litigation
Federal Court Sanctions Litigant Who Destroyed Evidence Relating to His Claim
In McLaughlin v. Lenovo Global Technology Inc., plaintiff Daniel McLaughlin sued his former employer, defendant Lenovo Global Technology Inc., alleging Lenovo failed to pay him unpaid commissions and reimburse him for certain business expenses that totaled over...
LLCs and Other Unincorporated Associations Present Challenges for Federal Diversity Jurisdiction
Unincorporated associations, such as LLCs, present particular challenges for establishing federal diversity jurisdiction. In BRT Management LLC v. Malden Storage LLC, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit recently reversed a District Court judgment...
In Huang v. Ma, the Supreme Judicial Court Holds that an Oral Real Estate Exclusive Brokerage Contract is Enforceable
Last year, we blogged about a case in which a real estate broker alleged she had a verbal exclusive buyer’s broker contract with clients to represent them in connection with the purchase of a new home. The broker filed suit against the clients after they bought a home...
Statute of Frauds No Bar to Claim for Breach of Oral Contract to Transfer Delivery Agreement
The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts recently held that a promissory estoppel claim for assignment of a contract was not barred by the Statute of Frauds. The Court held that, where the complaint did not allege that the parties had any...
Is the Non-Compete Clause in My Employment Contract Enforceable?
Perhaps you are considering finding employment at a new company or already have a new job offer and remember that the employment agreement you have with your current or recent employer includes a non-compete clause. What is a non-compete agreement? Does this mean you...
Superior Court Denies College’s Attempt to Hold Auditor Liable for Failure to Detect Employee’s Fraud
In an important recent decision in the Business Litigation Session of the Massachusetts Superior Court, Judge Kenneth W. Salinger rejected Merrimack College's attempt to hold its auditor KPMG, LLP liable for its failure to discover an employee's fraud. In Merrimack...
Of Jurors and Jury Instructions
I attended a recent Federal Bar Association breakfast that was hosted by a thoughtful member of the federal bench in Massachusetts. He raised an important question about juror comprehension: Should each juror have a personal copy of the Court's jury instructions and...
Massachusetts Superior Court Holds That Plaintiffs Can Sue Distinct Corporations Under Single Integrated Employer Theory
In the recent case of Fitzgerald v. The Chateau Restaurant Corp., No. 14-01990-J, 2016 WL 344155 (Mass. Sup. Ct. Jan. 4, 2016), a former manager at The Chateau Burlington and The Chateau Andover restaurants filed a putative class action against parent company The...
Is What I Tell My Lawyer Confidential? The Attorney-Client Privilege.
Communications between a client and a lawyer for the purpose of seeking or providing legal advice are generally confidential and neither the client nor the lawyer can be compelled to disclose them. The protection that applies to such communications is called the...
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