As many of our readers are aware, the Commonwealth is experiencing a rapid growth in the number of new utility-scale solar energy...

In Pinecroft Development, Inc. v. Zoning Board of Appeals of West Boylston, the Massachusetts Appeals Court reviewed a case of “split...

At the end of 2020, the Governor signed a sweeping police reform bill, which, among other measures, created a new civilian oversight...

EPA has issued health advisories and grant announcement concerning PFAS in drinking water. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)...

Long-time readers of this newsletter may remember an article from July 2015 discussing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Reed v. Town...

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) recently reiterated the draconian penalties under even an unintentional violation of the...

On April 14, 2022, the Supreme Judicial Court held, in Devaney v. Zucchini Gold, LLC, that employees who assert wage claims available...

Outdoor Dining and Takeaway/Delivery of Alcohol As part of an omnibus appropriations bill, the Governor signed into law extensions of...

Chapter 22 of the Acts of 2022 went into effect on February 15, 2022. It has several important provisions. It extends until July 15,...

On February 28, 2022, the Executive Office for Administration and Finance announced that the Massachusetts COVID-19 Emergency Paid Sick...

The Commonwealth’s climate goals include reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In support of this target, the Department of...

In the culmination of a years-long multidistrict litigation targeting opioid-maker J&J and distributors McKesson, Cardinal, and...

The privacy exemption contained in the Public Records Law was amended in 2020, in a manner that many may have thought was minor at the...

In Boston Clear Water Co., LLC v. Lynnfield, the Massachusetts Appeals Court examined the effect of a local conservation commission’s...

- The Interplay of M.G.L. c.32 and M.G.L. c.152 Under M.G.L. c.152, the Worker Compensation statute, worker compensation benefits are...

The Division of Local Services is continuing its recent efforts to update its Informational Guideline Releases. IGR-2022-1 explains...

Our last newsletter summarized a ruling by an investigator of the Department of Labor Relations regarding the need to bargain over the...

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits excessive fines but it is only recently that the U.S. Supreme Court considered...

Most public employers are aware that they have the managerial right to order an employee to undergo a fitness-for-duty examination. In...

LFO 2022-1: Exemption Eligibility for Electric Generating Systems When Situated on Property Owned by a Governmental Entity The DOR...