In Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Cummings Properties, the question before the Appeals Court was whether the plaintiff, Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“IPI”), provided sufficient notice to its landlord, defendant...more
1/16/2026
/ Appellate Courts ,
Automatic Renewals ,
Breach of Contract ,
Commercial Leases ,
Commercial Litigation ,
Commercial Real Estate Contracts ,
Contract Disputes ,
Contract Interpretation ,
Contract Terms ,
Enforceability ,
Landlords ,
Liquidated Damages ,
Notice Requirements ,
Notification Requirements
In Peebles v. JRK Property Holdings, Inc., the Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) interpreted the Massachusetts security deposit statute, G.L. c. 186, §15B. Its ruling arose from two questions certified to the SJC by the United...more
In Town of Concord v. Rasmussen, the Town of Concord (the “Town”) initiated an action against several landowners abutting a road known as Estabrook Road, seeking a declaration that the public had access and use rights to the...more
1/16/2026
/ Evidence ,
Land Courts ,
Land Owners ,
MA Supreme Judicial Court ,
Municipalities ,
Prescriptive Easements ,
Property Owners ,
Public Access Laws ,
Public Property ,
Right of Way ,
Statutory Interpretation
In Stone v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Northborough (“Stone”), plaintiffs residing across the street from a proposed 20,000 square foot warehouse appealed a decision by the Northborough Zoning Board of Appeals (the “Board”)...more
1/16/2026
/ Appellate Courts ,
Evidence ,
Expert Testimony ,
Groundwater ,
Judicial Review ,
Land Developers ,
Land Use Claims ,
Local Ordinance ,
Property Owners ,
Standing ,
Summary Judgment ,
Warehouses ,
Zoning Laws
Palmer Renewable Energy, LLC v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Springfield, 105 Mass. App. Ct. 518 (2025) -
Palmer involved a dispute concerning the so-called “Permit Extension Act,” passed by the Massachusetts Legislature (the...more
29 Greenwood, LLC v. City of Newton, 128 F.4th 1 (1st Cir. 2025) In 29 Greenwood, the Newton Historical Commission (the “Commission”) issued a permit to 29 Greenwood, LLC (“Greenwood”) for restoration of the Gershom Hyde...more
Nahant Preservation Trust, Inc. v. Northeastern University, 104 Mass.App.Ct. 698 (2024) -
Nahant Preservation Trust, Inc. v. Northeastern University involved a dispute over whether a private landowner (“Northeastern”) had...more
In Att’y Gen. v. Town Milton, the court ruled that the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (“MBTA”) Communities Act, G. L. c. 40A, § 3A (“Section 3A”), is constitutional, and that the Attorney General has the authority...more
In North End Chamber of Commerce (“NECC”) v. City of Boston, the NECC and several restaurants in the North End neighborhood of Boston (“Plaintiffs”) filed suit against the City of Boston (“City”), alleging that the City...more
When is the executor nominated by the decedent in a will deemed unfit to serve as executor? Rarely – but a recent decision in Surrogates Court set forth the standard and deemed the nominated executor in that case unfit to...more
What constitutes undue influence sufficient to invalidate a deed? In Erikson v. Erikson, 105 Mass. App. Ct. 1115 (February 24, 2025), the Appeals Court of Massachusetts affirmed the Land Court’s invalidation of a deed on the...more
On March 21, 2025, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued an interim final rule that significantly changes the reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). This alert summarizes...more
3/24/2025
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Business Entities ,
Business Ownership ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Financial Crimes ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Entities ,
Pooled Investment Vehicles ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
On February 18, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas lifted the nationwide injunction it had previously issued against the enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). As a result, the CTA...more
2/20/2025
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Business Entities ,
Business Ownership ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Filing Deadlines ,
FinCEN ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
Kearsarge Walpole LLC v. Zoning Board of Appeals of Walpole involved a dispute over where a large-scale solar array could be placed in Walpole, Massachusetts. In Kearsarge, a solar developer (Kearsarge), along with Norfolk...more
On December 26, 2024, the merits panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued an order effectively reinstating the District Court's nationwide injunction of the Corporate Transparency Act....more
12/27/2024
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Business Entities ,
Business Ownership ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Filing Requirements ,
FinCEN ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Stays
On December 23, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit lifted the injunction issued earlier this month that had paused enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). In response, the U.S....more
12/24/2024
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Business Entities ,
Business Ownership ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Deadlines ,
Filing Requirements ,
FinCEN ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Stays
On December 3, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a nationwide injunction halting enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). In response, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s...more
12/12/2024
/ Beneficial Owner ,
Business Entities ,
Business Ownership ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Filing Requirements ,
FinCEN ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Stays
Generally, under New York EPTL 5-1.1-A, if a decedent is survived by a spouse, a right of election is given to the surviving spouse to take a share of the decedent's estate “equal to the greater of (i) fifty thousand dollars...more
The clock is ticking—just 49 days remain until the one-year filing deadline for the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA)! Entities established before January 1, 2024, must submit a beneficial owner information report (BOIR) by...more
Somerville Off. Assocs. Ltd. P'ship v. Cresset Dev., LLC, 104 Mass. App. Ct. 1108 (2024).
In Somerville Office Associates Limited Partnership v. Cresset Development, LLC, plaintiff Somerville Office Associates (“SOA”)...more
Fleming v. Zoning Bd. of Appeals of Oxford, 103 Mass. App. Ct. 1128 (2024)
In Fleming, the Massachusetts Appeals Court grappled with some scaley zoning issues arising out of personal ownership of 460 reptiles. In this...more
Meadow Wood LLC v. City of Brockton, 230 N.E.3d 1065 (Mass. App. Ct. 2024) -
The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently interpreted G. L. c. 41, § 81P, which governs “approval not required” endorsements....more
Varano v. PDJM Land Tr., LLC, 103 Mass. App. Ct. 1127 (2024) - We last wrote about Varano v. PDJM in our November 2022 issue of Law of the Land. In the first iteration of Varano, the Superior Court held that a commercial...more
Can a person claiming to be the decedent’s biological child out of wedlock obtain a court order directing DNA testing of the decedent’s acknowledged children, in order to verify her claim? In Matter of Estate of McGuire, 203...more
Does the phrase “if they survive me” demonstrate a testator’s intent to avoid the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code (“MUPC”) anti-lapse statute, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 190B § 2-603? The Massachusetts Supreme...more