A unanimous panel of the Illinois Appellate Court recently held that three insurers have a duty to defend any case in which the bare underlying allegations – if proved – would render their insured liable, regardless of extrinsic facts. This sweeping ruling confirms that the duty to defend is a…
Today, Pillsbury attorneys Julia Judish, Rebecca Carr Rizzo and Keith Hudolin published their client alert titled The Legal Landscape Rapidly Changes for D.C. Employers. The Alert discusses how District of Columbia employers now face and are soon to face a number of new laws affecting a wide range of issues,…
Friday, the Texas Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion in the case of Environmental Processing Systems, L.C. v. FPL Farming Ltd., reversing the Court of Appeals for the Ninth District of Texas’s finding that EPS had the burden of establishing an affirmative defense that it had the landowner’s consent, and…
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (“L&I”) is in the process of updating its electrical examinations to the 2014 National Electrical Code® (NEC®) and current versions of Washington electrical laws (Ch. 19.28 RCW) and rules (Ch. 296-46B WAC). L&I expects the revised exams to be in place on…
State contractor and tradesmen licensing laws, and the agencies responsible for issuing and regulating these licensees, vary across the nation. In California, the California Contractors State License Board issues licenses to general engineering contractors, general building contractors and specialty classifications for trades that require a license, including, by way of…
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (“L&I”)Electrical Currents , Vol. 19 No. 2 (Feb. 2015) identifies legislative updates in 2015 that may be of interest to electrical contractors. None of the bills identified are sponsored by L&I: House Bill 1315 – L&I’s summary of the bill: “Requires L&I…
On January 27, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia held that the waste water discharges of a mining operation in the coal mining areas were subject to a Clean Water Act (CWA) and Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) citizen suit. The District…
Industry representatives have complained that from time to time that EPA will enter into settlements of lawsuits brought by environmental interest groups that have the effect of excluding industry representatives from participating in the final settlement. Usually these lawsuits involve claims that EPA has failed to take a regulatory action–usually…
On January 27, 2015, the U.S. District Court for Minnesota granted summary judgment to EPA and two environmental groups defending EPA’s decision to release personal data submitted by a group of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) farm facilities who were also applicants for Minnesota wastewater discharges. The plaintiffs argued that…
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) recently announced the publication of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to revise and replace its Sex Discrimination Guidelines. The NPRM would rescind OFCCP’s guidelines on federal contractors’ obligations not to discriminate on the basis of sex under Executive Order 11246, as…