Author Archives: Rich Van Nostrand

About Rich Van Nostrand

Rich is a partner at the Firm. He has extensive experience in general civil trial work, with concentrations in business, commercial and employment litigation. He provides advice and representation in a variety of business and commercial litigation matters, including shareholder disputes, corporate dissolutions, intra- and inter-company disagreements, and intra-family business disputes. Rich also provides ongoing employment litigation and counseling services to numerous clients in the private, public and higher education sectors. In the private sector, Rich represents clients in a broad range of industries including health care, professional services, high technology, industrial and manufacturing. In addition, he is also frequently selected by litigants to assist in the resolution of their disputes as an independent arbitrator or mediator.

The Summer of Noncompete Reform: Three Other New England States Get In On the Act – Part 2

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Rich Van Nostrand

Following the Massachusetts legislature’s attempt at reform of the use of employee noncompetition agreements last summer, three other New England states – New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island –passed their own noncompetition agreement reform bills in the summer of 2019. … Continue reading →

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The Summer of Noncompete Reform: Three Other New England States Get In On the Act – Part 1

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Rich Van Nostrand

Most readers are probably aware that the Massachusetts legislature, after a decade of starts and stops, passed a very detailed bill retaining but reforming the use of employee noncompetition agreements last summer.  While we were the first New England state … Continue reading →

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More News on the Noncompete Front: Employers Should Still Expect Strict Scrutiny of Their Restrictive Covenant Agreements

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Rich Van Nostrand

In earlier posts, I reported on the passage of the new Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act, which took effect on October 1, 2018. That Act significantly changed the law in this area, narrowing the permissible protections and imposing several new requirements … Continue reading →

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A Rebalancing for Wage Act Claims and Class Actions?

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Rich Van Nostrand

Citing three Wage Act cases in 2018, I raised the question in this space whether the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court was now taking a more pro-employer view. With appointees of Governor Baker now holding a majority of the Court, did … Continue reading →

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WARN Act Violations ≠ Wage Act Violations

Posted on January 3, 2019 by Rich Van Nostrand

Early in 2018, the Massachusetts Wage Act, G.L. c. 149, §148, was in the news with two noteworthy decisions by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Bookending 2018, the Supreme Judicial Court closed the year with yet another decision narrowing the … Continue reading →

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Judicial Protection of the Employment Relationship: The Broad Reach of the Workers’ Compensation Retaliation Prohibition

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Rich Van Nostrand

The Massachusetts Appeals Court recently had the opportunity to assess the limits of a statute designed to protect employees – the prohibition on employer retaliation against employees for pursuing Workers’ Compensation claims. The Court seized upon the unique facts of … Continue reading →

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Constructive Discharge Claims: Recent Appellate Decision Narrows Availability

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Rich Van Nostrand

In our defense of employers, we often see the situation where an employee who has quit makes the argument as part of the claim that the actions of the employer compelled the employee to resign. This “constructive discharge” argument can … Continue reading →

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Is Your Noncompete Still Valid? Technically Yes, But . . . Recent Decision Foreshadows How The New Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act May Impact Existing Agreements

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Rich Van Nostrand

In an earlier post, we reported on the passage of the new Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act, which takes effect on October 1, 2018, and significantly changes the law in this area by narrowing the permissible protections and imposing several new … Continue reading →

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Violation of Sick Time Payout Policy Not a Wage Act Violation

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Rich Van Nostrand

The Massachusetts Wage Act, G.L. c. 149, §148, is in the news again, the subject of another noteworthy decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Like the decision declining to extend personal liability to Board members and investors for Wage … Continue reading →

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Sexual Harassment Settlements as Tax Policy: Non-Deductibility of Payments and Legal Expenses

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Rich Van Nostrand

The Tax Cuts and Job Act passed by Congress on December 22, 2017, includes a surprising provision that may have a significant impact on settlements of sexual harassment and other claims. Under Section 13307 of that Act, the Internal Revenue … Continue reading →

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