This post updates our previous post regarding proposed taxation of revenue generated by Airbnb rentals. Despite prior consideration of an Airbnb tax as early as July 2017, the proposal was dropped from the fiscal year 2018 budget proposal. Earlier this year, the state Senate pushed to apply Massachusetts’ state hotel tax, and local levies, on […]...
In a recent decision in Dallas, Texas District Court, a jury awarded $1,000,000 in damages to a wedding photographer due to defamatory statements published in the media, and in particular on internet sites and social media. Every business owner fears the damage that negative comments made online can do to their reputation. […]...
As discussed in one of our previous posts , Massachusetts legislators have continued to discuss imposing a tax on short-term rental companies like Airbnb. Recently, the Massachusetts Senate decided to proceed with Governor Charlie Baker’s proposal to expand the room occupancy tax to include short-term rentals, but not without a few modifications. Back in January, Governor […]...
Nicole Rushovich, a rising third year student at Boston University Law School, will spend the summer working as a summer associate in Strang Scott’s Boston office. Nicole obtained her B.A. at the University of Colorado at Boulder, earning summa cum laude honors with a dual degree in Psychology and Political Science. While there she was […]...
The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently upheld a trial court’s award of damages to a subcontractor in spite of a “no damages for delay clause” in the subcontract.On a public construction project, the subcontractor entered into a subcontract that contained a clause making extensions of time the exclusive remedy for delays to the subcontractor. The project […]...
Citgo and Related Beal have agreed to terms that will keep the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square “in place for decades to come.” Not surprisingly, Boston residents are elated about the news. ...
Companies operating or conducting business in Massachusetts are aware of an all-too-familiar statute, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 93A. This statute provides individual consumers and businesses a right to bring legal action if they are harmed by an unfair business practice. The statute eloquently, although perhaps ambiguously, states that a violation shall exist when a company […]...
A recent Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court decision should serve as a clear reminder to business owners that, in order to enjoy the benefits that limited liability entities afford, one must respect established corporate formalities and comport business accordingly. Briefly, in In Re: Cameron Construction & Roofing Co., Inc. the Bankruptcy Court held that the assets of […]...
Mayor Walsh’s administration recently proposed a new bill aimed at limiting the available reasons to evict a residential tenant. The proposal, known as the “Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act,” would eliminate no-fault evictions in many instances, a common practice used to remove tenants without listing a violation. Proponents of the act claim that it is […]...
In Aggregate Industries – Northeast Region, Inc. v. Hugo Key & Sons, Inc., 90 Mass.App.Ct. 146 (2016), the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled in favor of Strang Scott’s position, reversing part of the trial court’s earlier decision. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) recently declined to further review the case. As such, the Appeals Court’s decision […]...