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Section 179D of the Internal Revenue Code, first enacted in 2006, grants qualifying building owners or tenants of commercial buildings a federal tax deduction for the installation of energy-efficient features and systems in existing or new-build projects. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”)...
Flow-down (or “pass-through” or “conduit”) clauses are a common feature in construction contracts, particularly in projects involving multiple tiers of contracts. These clauses are intended to ensure the terms and conditions between the prime contractor and owner apply to all lower tiers of...
On February 16, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued revisions to its supervisory appeals process. The Bureau’s supervisory appeals process has not changed since 2015, and the Bureau’s announcement notes that these new revisions “broaden the Bureau officials eligible to evaluate...
On November 30, 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court issued a decision in the case of Acuity v. M/I Homes of Chicago, LLC, et al., 2023 IL 129087 with significant implications for insurance coverage of construction defects under commercial general liability (CGL) policies.
A recent Maryland appellate decision arising from an insurance company’s exercise of subrogation rights against negligent subcontractors in connection with tornado damage to a warehouse illustrates the pitfalls of waiver of subrogation clauses in construction contracts. In XL Insurance America, Inc...
Florida’s lien law is once again under construction with significant changes which went into effect on October 1, 2023. The amendments impact various aspects of lien rights, notice requirements, bond amounts, and attorney fee recovery. Key Provisions and Implications Lien Rights Extended to...
This week we move away from the world of the standard retirement or health and welfare plans and into the world of executive compensation. Executive compensation arrangements provide a company with a highly flexible benefit to further attract and retain top talent. Issues in design and...
In the past two weeks, we have presented a few items that plan sponsors can review in hopes of curbing common employee benefits and executive compensation errors. This week in our Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) series, we touch on a small sample of common health and...
In a recent decision by the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the court interpreted Illinois law and clarified the rights and obligations of owners, their insurers and public adjusters in the situation in which the public adjuster is identified as a co-payee on a check paying insurance proceeds...
For better or for worse, the 401(k) plan has moved to center stage in the context of American retirement policy. Fittingly, Part 2 of this Employee Retirement Income Securities Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) driven series focuses on a handful of common misses that occur with 401(k) plans. Not Knowing the...
The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”) has a reputation for being intimidating and understandably so. Although plan sponsors must practically consider business needs and evaluate benefits alongside general labor and employment considerations, ERISA’s fiduciary standards may...
On May 25, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation amending the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act (“FTSA”). The amendment is intended to reign in the proliferation of individual and consumer class actions filed under the FTSA against businesses. The amendment covers several key areas...
The Illinois Appellate Court reversed a trial court’s statutory fraud judgment against a contractor in a defective construction case. The Appellate Court held that as a matter of law: (1) a contractor’s misstatement of amounts due for work did not support a statutory fraud claim even when the...
A recent decision resolving a dispute arising from pre-pandemic supply chain issues that delayed construction of a wind farm in Illinois illustrates the ever-present risks posed by supply chain disruptions and provides a sobering demonstration of how liability for these risks can be shifted by...
Since its inception, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) has issued policy statements around its authority to root out, stop and prevent unfair and deceptive acts pursuant to the Unfair, Deceptive and Abusive (“UDAAP”) provision of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (“CFPA”)...
On March 23, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (the “CFPB”) funding structure is constitutional. The Second Circuit’s three-judge unanimous panel decision in the case, captioned Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v. Law...
On February 17, 2023, in Cothron v. White Castle System, Inc., 2023 IL 128004, the Illinois Supreme Court issued a sweeping decision concerning the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”), which restricts the collection, retention, and disclosure of any “retina or iris scan, fingerprint...
On February 14th the NY Court of Appeals held that including additional information, such as bankruptcy disclosures, debt collection disclosures and service members' disclosures, in a 90-day preforeclosure notice is permissible and does not void such notice pursuant to Section 1304 of the New York...
A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois recently awarded nearly $23 million to the developer of a luxury hotel in Chicago’s trendy West Loop arising from multiple breaches of contract and fraud by its design-builder. What is particularly striking about the judgment in NHC LLC v. Centaur...
During the 2022 legislative session, the Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 550 (“SB 550”), which Virginia Governor Youngkin signed into law. SB 550 amends a portion of the Virginia Prompt Payment Act and a component of the Virginia wage theft statute, prohibiting “pay-if-paid” clauses in...