When you're negotiating settlement of a Massachusetts employment action, you have much more to consider than just "how much money." There are many non-monetary remedies that can either alone or combined with money bring the parties to agreement. And how money is paid...
Month: August 2017
Massachusetts Divorce Rate and Moral Acceptability
As the national divorce rate has fallen to its lowest point in decades, 73% of U.S. adults say divorce is "morally acceptable," a new high by one percentage point. Since 2001, there has been a 14-point rise in the percentage of Americans who find divorce morally...
Massachusetts Wage Act Plaintiffs Entitled to Prejudgment Interest
In a recent case, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ("SJC") resolved a contested issue under the Massachusetts Wage Act, ruling that successful Wage Act plaintiffs are entitled to prejudgment interest on the unpaid wages and other benefits they are...
Members of the Armed Forces Get Special Tax Benefits for 2017
Members of the military may qualify for tax breaks and benefits. Special rules could lower the tax they owe or give them more time to file and pay taxes. In addition, some types of military pay are tax-free.Here are some tips to find out who qualifies:1. Combat Pay...
How to Access Audio Recording of Trial Court Hearing
If you would like to listen to a Massachusetts court proceeding recorded by the FTR (For The Record) system, please follow this link to access their audio streaming service: https://us.court.fm. FTR provides fast access to trial court content online, replacing CD's...
Massachusetts Child Support: 5 Tax Rules You Should Know
Whether you are the payor or recipient of child support in Massachusetts, there are 5 tax rules you should be aware of.CHILD SUPPORT - DEPENDENCY EXEMPTION - FIVE (5) RULES 1.Taxable v. Deductible. Receipt of child support is not reported as taxable income and child...
How Massachusetts Employers Stay Compliant with the ADA
Massachusetts employees are filing complaints under the American Disability Act (ADA) with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in record numbers, with over 28,000 complaints filed in 2016,...
Which Vaccination Exemptions are Allowed for Massachusetts Children
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health requires children to be vaccinated in order to be enrolled to school. There are two situations in which children who are not appropriately immunized may be admitted to school:1) a medical exemption is allowed if a...
Stock Options are Valuable Assets to be Divided in a Massachusetts Divorce
Under Massachusetts law, stock options, both vested and unvested, are marital assets which may be included when dividing the marital estate in a divorce action.In order to determine whether and to what extent stock options may be included in the marital estate, a...
Massachusetts Landlords Cannot Refuse to Rent to Criminals
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), refusing to rent based on a criminal records is a form of racial discrimination, due to racial imbalances in the U.S. justice, despite the fact that criminal history is not a protected class...