The COVID-19 outbreak has impacted the manufacturing, transportation and supple chains underpinning countless aspects of trade and commerce on a global basis. Additionally, the shelter-in-place orders have caused nonessential businesses to shut down, resulting in many of them being unable to meet their contractual obligation. Force Majeure Whether coronavirus can be considered a force majeure depends on the wording of the provision ...
As a growing number of the workforce is being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, governmental employers are raising benefit-related questions. The Employee Benefits Group at Hanson Bridgett will be providing updated information on possible issues arising in the benefits area through Benefits Alerts and postings on Hanson Bridgett's Online COVID-19 Resource Center ...
You’ve read the qualifying language before: across the country, construction projects are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We thought it important to prepare guidelines to assist contractors in navigating the situation from a risk management perspective. The situation is dynamic and will change quickly. A one-size-fits-all solution does not exist, and this global challenge continues to evolve. What works today may not address tomorrow’s needs ...
Like most industries, tech startups have been deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. As they scramble to adapt to a rapidly changing climate, tech leaders are asking if, and to what extent, their businesses can benefit from the $2 trillion stimulus package known as the CARES Act ...
Chances are your business has been interrupted by the Coronavirus epidemic, and if you rent space, you are considering how to obtain rent concessions from your landlord. Most likely, your lease will not give you an express right to rent abatement if your use is precluded by a "shelter-in-place" order or other government action ...
Compliance with environmental regulations is challenging under the best of circumstances, but the COVID-19 crisis and measures taken in response add a new layer of complexity. The lack of a consistent message from elected officials and health officers, on the one hand, and from federal and state environmental regulators, on the other, creates a quandary for the business community ...
“With our nation’s health care providers on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19, dollars and cents shouldn’t be adding to their worries.” - CMS Administrator Seema Verma. During this Public Health Emergency, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has expanded its accelerated and advanced payment program (“Program”) to all Medicare-enrolled providers and suppliers (“Providers”) ...
On March 31, seven Bay Area counties issued stricter shelter-in-place orders and extended their effectiveness to at least May 3 (collectively, the “Orders”). As of the morning of April 2, Napa County noted that it will be joining the other Bay Area counties. Solano County extended the effectiveness of its order, but declined to tighten restrictions ...
On Friday, March 27, 2020, the CARES ACT was signed into law. The Cares Act includes provisions for changing deadlines for patents, trademarks, and copyrights. For patents and trademarks, the Act permits the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office to change the deadlines imposed by Title 35 of the United States Code, the Trademark Act, Section 18 of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act ...
As private and governmental employers cope with reduced revenues and other significant effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, many are considering whether to lay off or furlough employees, or reduce employees’ hours ...
On March 31, 2020, the IRS issued Form 7200 Advance Payment of Employer Tax Credits Due to COVID-19 and instructions for eligible employers to claim advance payments of refundable payroll tax credits related to COVID-19 ...
On March 24, 2020, the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (“OPR”) announced that “[a]t this time, there has been no change to the deadlines, noticing, or filing requirements contained within CEQA.” OPR also announced that the California State Clearinghouse, the office that coordinates state-level review of CEQA documents, will be operating every weekday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m ...
Last Friday, March 27, we published CARES Act: Paycheck Protection Loans and Eligibility for Loan Forgiveness. This alert is intended to provide an update concerning implementation of the Paycheck Protection Loan application process. The SBA has posted a Paycheck Protection Application Form on its website. Since the loans will be funded by private SBA lenders, and guaranteed by the SBA, most borrowers are lining up with private SBA lenders now ...
On March 31, 2020, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties plus the City of Berkeley issued new Shelter-in-Place orders, further restricting construction and extending Shelter-in-Place restrictions until May 3, 2020. Under the new orders, most construction, including residential and commercial, is now prohibited. Healthcare, low income housing, specially designated public works projects, shelters, and temporary housing projects may continue ...
While relief has been granted for federal and California income tax filing and payment obligations (see prior coverage here and here) the same cannot be said for local property tax obligations. To avoid penalties, the next payment deadline for California property taxes remains April 10, 2020. Property tax payment deadlines are set by California state law and cannot be extended by either the Board of Equalization or local county assessor offices (see BOE statement) ...
Unique challenges confront those businesses impacted by COVID-19 that are also in the process of implementing operational changes to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). The California Attorney General begins enforcement on July 1, 2020, and recently declined to extend that date due to COVID-19. We take a look at those challenges here and propose some best practices to avoid legal liability under the CCPA ...
Whether your company is at the outset of exploring a potential M&A transaction or in the days leading up to closing the deal, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has introduced unprecedented levels of uncertainty into transactions for sellers and acquirors alike. This alert highlights potential considerations for sellers and acquirors in M&A transactions as a result of COVID-19 ...
On March 27, 2020 California Governor, Gavin Newsom, issued Executive Order N-37-20 (“Order”), temporarily restricting the ability of landlords to evict residential tenants for nonpayment of rent if the failure to pay rent is due to the impacts of the COVID-19 Coronavirus (“COVID-19”) ...
As a growing number of the workforce is being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are raising several benefit related questions, particularly with respect to financial assistance available to employees. The Employee Benefits Group at Hanson Bridgett will be providing updated information on possible issues arising in the benefits area through Benefits Alerts and postings on Hanson Bridgett's Online COVID-19 Resource Center ...
On March 26, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a temporary policy on its enforcement of environmental obligations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many facilities are experiencing unexpected constraints arising from the pandemic, including limited availability of key staff, contractors, and laboratories ...
Last week, President Trump signed two Legislative Acts – the Families First Coronavirus Response Act ("FFCRA") and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). Effective April 1, 2020, the FFCRA requires employers with more than 50 but fewer than 500 employees to provide emergency paid sick leave and expanded Family Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") leave to employees ...
As a growing number of the workforce is being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are raising several benefit related questions, particularly with respect to group health plans. The Employee Benefits Group at Hanson Bridgett will be providing updated information on possible issues arising in the benefits area through Benefits Alerts and postings on Hanson Bridgett's Online COVID-19 Resource Center ...
Updated April 2, 2020 The recently enacted Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides payroll tax relief to certain businesses facing the COVID-19 crisis. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) provides for payroll tax credits for small and mid-size private sector employers (500 or fewer employees) required to provide paid sick and expanded family and medical leave related to qualified payments made between April 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 ...
