Author: Roger L. Smerage

The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently clarified how judgments from other states can be enforced against assets located in Massachusetts pursuant to the Massachusetts Uniform Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act (the “Act”). Enacted in 2019 and codified at M.G.L. c. 218, § 4A, the Act brings Massachusetts in line with an overwhelming majority of states that have enacted…

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Nearly three months after pausing civil litigation due to the COVID-19 crisis, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) has released a new emergency order, effective June 1, 2020 (the “June Order”), that lays out the present plan for resumption of civil litigation. Although the June Order’s plan is contingent upon there being no further surges…

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After all but shutting down civil litigation in mid-March 2020 (as discussed in a prior alert), Massachusetts state courts are beginning to chart a course forward for handling non-emergency civil litigation matters. For example, in the weeks after the March 17, 2020 Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”) order closing courthouses and postponing trials (and its subsequent…

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Before the spread of COVID-19 last week, the Massachusetts court system—which consists of the Supreme Judicial Court (“SJC”), the Appeals Court, and the Trial Court (itself comprised of the Superior Court, District Court, Land Court, and Housing Court, among others)—was already stretched thin. For example, it is typical in many Superior Court civil sessions to…

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Businesses operating in the retail and hospitality industries tend to gather a large amount of personal data. In addition to collecting employee data, as consumer-facing entities, retail and hospitality businesses typically gather large volumes of customer data. As such, businesses in these industries can see the significant regulatory impact when states look to make legislative…

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