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Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Presents “Recent Developments in ERISA”
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, Partner Katherine Hesse gave a plenary presentation on Recent Developments in ERISA on Friday September 16 to members of the Group Legal Services Association ("GLSA") at its annual meeting in New Orleans. Among the...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Presents at the 41st Annual ISCEBS Employee Benefits Symposium
Attorney Katherine Hesse, a Partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, presented a Legal Update at the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists (“ISCEBS”) 41st Annual Employee Benefits Symposium this week. The four day symposium...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Attorney Presents Training for Newly Elected Select Board Members
Attorney Karis North from Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP recently presented a training for the Massachusetts Select Board Association (“MSA”). The training, held in Devens, targeted newly elected select board members, although any select board member...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Attorney Elected President to the Massachusetts Association of Public Pension Attorneys
Mathew L. Feeney, an attorney with Murphy, Hesse. Toomey & Lehane, LLP, has recently been appointed President of the Massachusetts Association of Public Pension Attorneys (“MAPPA”). MAPPA is an organization of attorneys, all of whom practice public...
OPEN MEETING LAW TEMPORARY AUTHORIZATION FOR REMOTE PARTICIPATION EXTENDED BY LEGISLATURE – AWAITS GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE
Last night, the House and Senate enacted S. 3007, which extends the authorization for remote participation for all public bodies until March 31, 2023. The legislature enacted the bill with Emergency Authorization, meaning it will go into effect as soon as the Governor signs it. This measure simply extends the prior authorization, which expired at 12:01AM on July 15, 2022, and allows public bodies the ability to choose to continue the now well-established remote meeting protocols, dating back to March 2020.
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: The Supreme Court Overrules Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey
On June 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court overruled the landmark constitutional case Roe v. Wade and the key subsequent decision Planned Parenthood v. Casey in a majority opinion authored by Justice Samuel Alito. The Court held that “[t]he Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Presents at the Mass Bar Association’s 43rd Annual Labor & Employment Spring Conference
Attorney Sarah Spatafore, a partner at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, participated as a labor panelist at the Massachusetts Bar Association’s 43rd Annual Labor and Employment Spring Conference earlier this month. Presenters at the conference, held at...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partners Present for MassLeague’s 2022 Community Health Institute
The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers held their Annual Community Health Institute (“CHI”) in North Falmouth earlier this month. Attorneys Kier Wachterhauser and Nan ONeill, both partners at Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, presented...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Invites Reflection and Dialogue on the Threat of Nuclear Weapons
Amidst military conflict between world powers, our minds stir uneasily with fears of nuclear warfare. While often they recede in times of peace, even then the specter of nuclear holocaust remains. At their inception nuclear weapons seemed destined for eternal...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Attorneys Receive Favorable Decision in Motion to Dismiss
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane Attorneys were triumphant after filing a partial motion to dismiss on behalf of their client Easecare, LLC, et al. Attorneys Kevin Freytag and Sarah Spatafore represented the defendant in the case of Kenn v. Easecare, LLC...
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP Partner Presents “Recent Developments in ERISA”
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP, Partner Katherine Hesse gave a plenary presentation on Recent Developments in ERISA on Friday September 16 to members of the Group Legal Services Association (“GLSA”) at its annual meeting in New Orleans. Among the topics she emphasized were what employers/plan sponsors need to know in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and lessons from the Court’s decision in Hughes and other class action litigation as to factors to consider Read More
MARIJUANA REFORM BILL BECOMES LAW
On August 12, 2022, Governor Charlie Baker signed S. 3096, “An act relative to equity in the cannabis industry,” (“Act”) into law. The Act reforms Massachusetts’s existing marijuana laws, particularly with respect to host community agreements (“HCAs”), community impact fees (“CIFs”), and social consumption sites (e.g. marijuana cafes). The Act empowers the Cannabis Control Commission (“Commission”), the state regulatory agency, to exert greater control over HCAs and their CIFs. Municipalities levy CIFs on cannabis businesses to account for the costs they impose on the municipality as a result of their operations. Additionally, the Act allows municipalities to permit on-premises social consumption of marijuana at designated sites. Other notable provisions of the Act include the new Social Equity Trust Fund (“Trust Fund”), changes to the tax law regarding cannabis businesses, and various provisions concerning those persons and communities most impacted by the prior illegality of marijuana usage and sale. Governor Baker vetoed only one section of the final bill: the provision calling on the state to conduct a study of medical marijuana usage in schools.
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