The recent outbreak of 2019-nCOV, a flu-like respiratory illness better known as the Coronavirus, is causing employers to ready themselves for a variety of responses to the spread of the virus. Human Resources professionals are seeking guidance on how to promote a safe and healthy working environment without violating the rights of ill or potentially ill employees. We have some tips to help strike the right balance ...
Recent market volatility and the public health implications of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been unsettling. It can be stabilizing in turbulent times to take a deep breath, focus on long-term planning strategies and goals, and assess whether there might be new opportunities to enhance your estate plan ...
Over the last few days, Judge Lawrence K. Marks, the Chief Administrative Judge of the New York State Unified Court System, issued two memoranda bearing on COVID-19’s effect on the Commercial Division. First, by memorandum dated March 13, 2020, Judge Marks announced that he and Chief Judge Janet DiFiore have implemented a number of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect the well-being of court personnel ...
As the United States and countries all over the world continue to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic, the race is on for Covid-19 treatments and vaccines. There is currently no FDA-approved therapy or vaccine for Covid-19. Given the profound urgency, life sciences companies and other researchers are prioritizing research and development of potential therapies and vaccines ...
A panel of Bradley labor and employment and cybersecurity attorneys discuss coronavirus-related issues facing employers, including: How should you talk with your employees about the rapidly changing situation with the coronavirus and what it means for them as employees? What are the wage and hour, benefits and data security issues implicated by employees working remotely? What are the options for maintaining or reducing your workforce when the coronavirus results in supply chain int
On March 4, 2020, Governor Newsom declared a State of Emergency in the State of California as a result of the threat of COVID-19 ...
On March 17, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order suspending some of the notice requirements under the California WARN Act ("Cal-WARN"), the state counterpart to the Federal WARN Act. The order came in response to the sudden onslaught of workplace closings across California due to COVID-19. Under the Cal-WARN, employers with 75 or more employees must give 60-days' written notice to employees and unions before layoffs occur ...
As the COVID-19/Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread and affect our lives, the only certainty seems to be uncertainty. What is becoming clear is that both the short term and long term economic effects of the outbreak are likely to be significant. In light of this, real estate clients are asking important questions regarding the potential legal issues COVID-19 may have on their rights as real estate owners and operators ...
On March 18, 2020, the Senate approved, and President Trump signed H.R. 6201, the "Families First Coronavirus Response Act." The legislation contains a number of provisions related to employees' rights to time off and pay, provides tax credits to employers, and includes expanded health services and unemployment provisions. The provisions related to employees' rights to time off and pay, tax credits, and unemployment are summarized here: Family Medical Leave Act Expansion (H.R. 6201) H ...
The ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic is upending regular commercial activity across the United States and around the world, and that disruption is expected to escalate. Among the issues confronting our clients, the effect of public health orders and other measures to address COVID-19 is threatening, impacting, and in some cases, outright prohibiting the performance of material contractual obligations ...
On March 18, 2020, the State Medical Board of Ohio (“Board”) held a special meeting, which resulted in the temporary suspension of certain regulatory enforcement activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine Effective immediately, the Board will suspend enforcement of any regulations requiring in-person visits between providers and patients ...
The rapid spread of COVID-19 and the swift and sweeping action from government agencies at all levels are having a ripple effect on markets. These events are causing significant disruption in most industries, including the cancellation/postponement of major conferences and events like South by Southwest, March Madness, and Facebook’s F8, and Mobile World Congress. One impact is that many companies are struggling to meet their obligations under their contracts ...
Introduction While the long-term litigation effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may not materialize for months – or even years – it is important for tort litigation attorneys and their clients to begin preparing now for potential legal issues that may arise. This bulletin is intended to serve as a non-exhaustive list of tort-focused legal considerations for health care providers, product manufacturers, and their attorneys in the new and ever-evolving COVID-19 landscape ...
In accordance with the CDC’s guidance on social distancing, more and more companies are increasing the number of employees working from home. As the number of employees working from home increases, so do the related cyber risks. Sophisticated hackers have developed a game plan for exploiting weaknesses unique to the remote workforce employment model ...
On March 18, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed a bill to provide immediate assistance to New Yorkers impacted by COVID-19.The act provides paid and unpaid leave to employees “subject to a mandatory or precautionary order of quarantine or isolation issued by the state of New York, the department of health, local board of health, or any governmental entity duly authorized to issue such order due to COVID-19 ...
In IRS Notice 2020-17, the IRS extended the deadline for certain U.S. federal income tax payments due April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020, up to certain limits depending on the taxpayer. IMPORTANTLY, as of now,this extension does not apply to the filing of any tax return or information return.All tax returns and information returns due on April 15, 2020 are still due on April 15, 2020 unless the due date is extended as provided by law ...
On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Families First Coronavirus Act that aims to provide emergency supplemental relief to Americans affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.The Act, among other things, aims to provide such relief by addressing three employment-related areas: (1) emergency paid sick leave to employees, (2) emergency leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, and (3) support for unemployment insurance ...
On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the Department of the Treasury issued Notice 2020-17, postponing payment deadlines for many taxpayers in order to grant some amount of relief to businesses and individuals amid the Coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis. The Notice provides many taxpayers with the ability to defer federal income tax payments otherwise due by April 15, 2020, but does not postpone or alter the April 15 filing deadline or estimated payments due June 15, 2020 ...
On March 18, 2020, Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued Executive Order 2020-15 which permits all public bodies in the State of Michigan, with the exception of the State Legislature, to meet during the COVID-19 state of emergency (“COVID-19 Emergency”) by electronic means until April 15, 2020 ...
As the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic continues, many public companies are examining how best to accommodate their upcoming annual shareholder meetings in light of complying with government orders and recommendations limiting public gatherings and non-essential travel. Accordingly, many corporate executives are now considering moving their annual shareholder meetings to a virtual or “hybrid” format in light of current public health and safety concerns ...
UPDATE - On March 20 in the evening, Governor Wolf issued a revised list classifying businesses as life-sustaining and non-life-sustaining. The press release, list and frequently asked questions can be found here. In addition, Governor Wolf has extended the timeframe for enforcement of the order. The Pennsylvania General Assembly recently completed the Appropriations hearings related to the FY 2020-2021 budget. The plans to resume the legislative session were altered due to COVID-19 ...
As the impact of the coronavirus continues to grow and develop, government watchdogs are on high alert for fraud and scams that may arise. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Whistleblower Center sent a letter to Attorney General William Barr asking him to establish a nationwide task force to monitor and investigate fraud under the False Claims Act (FCA) ...
