As seen in the March 14, 2016 edition of the Providence Business News. Much has been written about crowdfunding commercial real estate since the passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Start-ups Act of 2012 (“JOBS Act”). Websites such as Selequity, Fundrise, and Realty Mogul have sprung up to provide what Selequity calls “the leading edge CRE investment...
Under the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Act, M.G.L. c. 152, § 1, et seq., particularly § 15, an employee who is injured in a work-related incident due to the acts of an unrelated third party may seek redress of that injury through the civil tort process while also having received benefits afforded through the Workers’ Compensation system. In...
Rhode Islanders are fast becoming familiar with the Sharing Economy and the disruption in the marketplace that comes with it. The insurance industry is no exception. In fact, of all the policy and legal implications surrounding the Sharing Economy, issues relating to how, whether and when insurance will cover a claim or loss potentially touch all participants in this...
As seen in the February 29, 2016 edition of the Providence Business News. With the close of the first quarter of 2016 on the horizon, employers tend to be in two camps with respect to their employee handbooks – those who have not revised their handbooks for 2016 and those who have. For those in the...
Businesses, organizations, state and local governmental entities and individuals who collect and store personal information about Rhode Island residents should start planning now to comply with the new Rhode Island Identity Theft Protection Act, which goes into effect on June 26, 2016 and replaces the existing law. Businesses and organizations of any size are affected....
A United States citizen or resident that owns (or has signatory authority over) an account at a foreign bank with a value in excess of $10,000 annually must file a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Account (or “FBAR”) with the Treasury Department. The FBAR is separate from – and in addition to – any...
First mortgage holders in Rhode Island beware: in a 4-1 decision handed down on December 4, 2015, the Rhode Island Supreme Court has ruled that pursuant to the Rhode Island Condominium Act, RIGL § 34-36.1-1.01 et seq., liens for six months of unpaid common fees prior to the foreclosure have super-priority status, and can extinguish first-priority mortgages under...
In Downey v. Chutehall Construction Co. (Lawyers Weekly No. 11-001-16), the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled a contractor can be liable for violating building codes despite the fact that the party suing it directed the contractor to perform the non-compliant work. The contractor argued that the owner told it the roof had only one layer of roofing materials on...
(Providence, SouthCoast, MetroWest, Boston) – Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP (PSH) is pleased to announce that John E. Ottaviani has been elected Partner. John is an outstanding attorney and is recognized as an expert in his field of law, intellectual property and commercial licensing matters.” said David M. Gilden, Managing Partner. John E. Ottaviani, Chair of...
This summer, new federal legislation was enacted which requires executors of decedents’ estates to file information statements with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as well as with estate beneficiaries, or face penalties. This new legislation also dictates how beneficiaries will establish cost basis for property inherited from a decedent. New Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) Sections...
