One of the first considerations to make when starting a business is whether to create a formal corporate entity. The creation of a formal entity and compliance with state prescribed formalities can offer business owners and members substantial protections from individual liability for business debts when acting by and through an entity. One particularly […]...
On October 19, 2017, OSHA released interim enforcement guidance for its Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard. This standard began full enforcement on October 23, 2017. The Interim Enforcement Guidance issued refers to the standard promulgated on September 23, 2017. Initially, rather than issue citations for violations of the standard, OSHA’s compliance officers were instructed to assist […]...
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) recently addressed the scope and interpretation of the Massachusetts Security Deposit Act, MGL c. 186, § 15B, in Phillips v. Equity Residential Management, LLC. Strang Scott previously discussed the implications of landlords’ failure to comply with MGL c. 186 (“the Act”). The dispute centered around four different provisions of […]...
Damages for work performed under a construction contract may be awarded under a variety of legal theories. One such theory is the principle of quantum meruit, which, when established, allows for an award of the reasonable value of goods or services as compensation for the value of “enrichment” those goods or services provide. Generally, one […]...
Part I of this series on Online Business Defamation and Public Forum Websites briefly touched on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (“Section 230”), a federal law that limits whom businesses can hold legally responsible for defamatory postings. As previously discussed, Courts have consistently interpreted Section 230 as providing close to blanket immunity […]...
Does your neighbor’s fence fall on your side of the property line? Did that garage get built on your land? If your neighbor encroaches on your land, you may be subject to losing that portion of your property by adverse possession. Adverse possession is a common law doctrine through which ownership to property can […]...
Imagine that your company rents space in a commercial building and just found out that your landlord stopped paying the mortgage. The building is in foreclosure, your lease isn’t ending soon, and it doesn’t address a foreclosure. What happens to your commercial lease if the building is sold in a foreclosure auction?When a commercial property […]...
Parties to a summary process (eviction) proceeding in Massachusetts are afforded the right to a trial by jury. Article 15 of the Constitution for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts declares that “parties have a right to a trial by jury; and this method of procedure shall be held sacred,” which applies to court rules […]...
Massachusetts law distinguishes rented dwellings from lodging houses with regard to the requirements, rights, and remedies for the landlord or owner of the property and the tenants or lodgers. By statute, when a dwelling unit is occupied by “four or more persons not within second degree of kindred” to each other, that unit is considered […]...
Selecting a contractor for a home improvement project is both exciting and fraught with peril. The right one can deliver your dream home, and the wrong one can make your living space a nightmare for an extended period of time. Fortunately, Massachusetts maintains strong consumer protections against the latter in M.G.L. c. 142A, the Home […]...