On January 17, 2014, the California Contractors State License Board issued Industry Bulletin – 1/17/2014 clarifying that the new law effective January 1, 2014 (Senate Bill 407) requiring replacement of plumbing fixtures with water-conserving models is not triggered by property “maintenance” or “repairs.” The new law requires anyone applying for…
January 8, 2014, Judge Jon S. Tigar, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, in Cordy v. USS-Posco Industries, et al., 2014 BL 4209, N.D. Cal., No. 3:12-cv-00553, granted preliminary approval of the amended settlement agreement between approximately 700 steelworkers and their employer for $3.5 million to settle…
A recent report by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) that the State of California does not collect between $800 million and $1.2 billion as a result of the “underground economy” could be a catalyst to the State increasing its efforts to combat what is commonly referred to as…
Employers often would prefer an arbitral forum for employee-related disputes because they are perceived as a venue that typically delivers a fair, efficient and cost-effective resolution for such disputes. Employment agreements that require arbitration of claims on an individual basis, including Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) claims, have been subject…
The recent decision by the Texas Supreme Court in Ewing Constr. Co., Inc. v. Amerisure Ins. Co., No. 12-0661, 2014 WL 185035 (Tex. Jan. 17, 2014), has insureds in Texas and throughout the country breathing a sigh of relief. The decision confirms the limited scope of the Texas Supreme Court’s…
On January 16, 2014, Pillsbury attorney John E. Jensen published his alert titled Affiliates of Indicted Contractor May Face Longer Suspension, which discusses the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit decision in Agility Defense & Government Services, Inc. v. United States Department of Defense, No. 13-10757, 2013 WL…
On January 8, 2014, Pillsbury attorneys Jeffrey A. Knight and Alina J. Fortson, and Joseph Ferranti, Environmental Division Director of InDepth Corporation, published their alert titled Be Careful What You Look For: EPA Updates “All Appropriate Inquiries” Environmental Diligence Standard. The alert discusses the EPA’s recent amendment of its “All…
On January 16, 2014, Pillsbury’s Insurance Recovery & Advisory team published their alert titled Insurance and the Polar Vortex: Recovering Losses from the Big Chill of 2014 discussing anticipated insurance coverage issues stemming from the extraordinary weather disaster during the first two weeks of 2014. Among other things, the big…
UPDATES: Stanford engineers develop state-by-state plan to convert U.S. to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2050; Energy Department Offers Conditional Commitment to Cape Wind Offshore Wind Generation Project (Jul. 1, 2014); Energy Department Announces $10 million for Wave Energy Demonstration at Navy’s Hawaii Test Site (Apr. 28, 2014) On December…
UPDATE: The Sacramento Bee, SPI Solar and KDC Solar Announce Joint Ownership of Mountain Creek Project (Feb. 21, 2014) On January 8, 2014, SPI Solar announced that it has “executed agreements with KDC Solar and China Development Bank (CDB) to provide immediate financing for the previously announced Imclone [solar power]…