Like it or not, water utilities are destined to experience water main breaks. Given the age of the nation's water infrastructure systems, expansion of construction activities and other issues, it is inevitable that water main breaks will occur. Whatever their causes,...
PLDO Law Blog
Pannone Lopes Devereaux OGara LLC
Texting in the Workplace: Why Employers Must Tread Cautiously
By now, most employers have systems in place to organize and maintain emails that their employees send and receive. These systems are critical for business reasons and compliance purposes. However, many employers are ignoring or turning a blind eye to a growing means...
RISC DECISION WILL CREATE MAJOR CONCERNS FOR SOME COMMERCIAL LENDERS
The laws of virtually every state prohibit lenders from charging interest on loans in excess of the "usury rate" - the maximum interest rate permitted under the laws of the state. However, usury statutes vary greatly from state to state. Not only do the maximum...
Federal District Court Rejects Challenge to NY’s Rockland County Flow Control Law
In one of the most significant decisions on flow control since the United States Supreme Court's landmark decision in United Haulers Ass'n v. Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Management Authority, 550 U.S. 330 (2007), the United States District Court for the Southern...
GOVERNOR MCKEE MAKES LONG-AWAITED ANNOUNCEMENT OF RHODE ISLAND CANNABIS CONTROL COMMISSION NOMINATIONS
After much anticipation, Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee made a move critical to advancing the state’s cannabis legalization efforts by naming his appointments to the new Cannabis Control Commission (“CCC”). The announcement of Kimberly Ahern, the Governor’s...
FIRST CIRCUIT EXPLAINS FLSA OVERTIME REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE EMPLOYEES
It is well settled that the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) requires employers to pay certain employees overtime pay at one and one-half times the employees’ regular rate. 29 U.S.C.S. §207(a). However, certain employees are exempt from this overtime requirement,...
EXECUTING A CAREFULLY DRAFTED CONFIDENTIALITY AGREEMENT IN AN M&A TRANSACTION
The execution of a confidentiality agreement - or what is also referred to as non-disclosure agreement (NDA) - is typically the first official stage of any merger or acquisition. Prior to this stage, a general discussion may have already occurred, and relevant...
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONDITIONS PRECEDENT IN LICENSING, PERMITTING AND PURCHASE AGREEMENTS
A condition precedent is a condition in a contract that must occur before another party is required to perform. In purchase and sale agreements, there are often several conditions precedent that must be satisfied before a party is required to close. Particularly, in...
REMOTE WORKERS IN RHODE ISLAND: STATE REGS MAY CREATE PERSONAL JURISDICTION IN RHODE ISLAND COURTS
The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island recently held that it had personal jurisdiction over an out-of-state employer, despite the fact that the employer only had one remote employee who worked in Rhode Island. That employee—who was also the...
