On August 31, 2017, Judge Amos L. Mazzant of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas struck down a Department of Labor rule that would have raised the minimum salary for an individual to be exempt from overtime pay from $455 per week ($23,660 annually) to $913 per week ($47,476 annually). The final version of the overtime rule was announced last May and was set to take effect on Dec ...
The Supreme Court of Texas has issued its much-anticipated opinion on an open attorney’s fees question in the area of First Party Property appraisals. The issue came to the Texas Supreme Court on a certified question from the 5th Circuit and considers the practical effect of the Texas Legislature’s 2017 amendments to the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act, Chapter 542, Insurance Code ...
On March 25, 2020, Governor Jim Justice signed into law House Bill 4497, which shall be known as The Alex Miller Law. The Alex Miller Law will take effect June 5, 2020, but the mandated requirements do not take effect until the 2021-2022 school year. Alex Miller, was a Roane County football player who collapsed and died during a high school football game. The Alex Miller Law (W. Va. Code 18-5-25c) requires defibrillators (AED devices) at certain events by the 2021-2022 school year ...
In its most recent issue, For The Defense published an article by Dinsmore partner Richik Sarkar’s called "The Amicus Brief: An Efficient And Elegant Public Policy Tool." The article examines how, when properly employed, an amicus brief can be the best tool to effect lasting change for the benefit of the amicus and similar parties, industries, and legal interests. An excerpt is below ...
On July 3, 2023, Ohio’s biennial budget bill[1] was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine. In addition to major budget provisions, the bill also includes notable changes to Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Control Program (“MMCP”), the state program that regulates and licenses cultivators, processors, testing laboratories, dispensaries and medical marijuana cardholders. Beginning January 1, 2024, the MMCP will be under new management ...
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique issues in the workforce and to employers. Fortunately, the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) has implemented policies and programs over the last several months intended to reduce employer hardships. Below are a few policies to note and verify have been applied to your business ...
Although artificial intelligence (“AI”) improves how businesses interact with customers, process sales, manage inventory and more, it also heralds new and unique cybersecurity risks. These risks can lead to unprecedented legal liabilities. Companies must understand how AI works, consider how AI is deployed throughout their business structure and take proactive steps to minimize security risks ...
Having a strategy when negotiating or participating in mediation is essential to a successful outcome that results in an agreement between the parties. Mediators see various levels of preparation and strategy by the parties participating in the process, and the party who approaches the mediation with a plan often achieves a more successful outcome. One effective strategy is anchoring: an effort to establish a reference point from which a party will make adjustments in negotiating ...
As seen in Human Resource Executive Online In the aftermath of the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend, a Twitter account with the handle @YesYoureRacist began soliciting the assistance of the general public to identify rally attendees based on photographs. “If you recognize any of the Nazis marching in #Charlottesville, send me their names/profiles and I’ll make them famous,” the Twitter-detective tweeted ...
On Nov. 30, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments from a coalition of hospital plaintiffs who are challenging Medicare’s nearly 30% reduction in outpatient drug reimbursement rates for 340B Program-participating hospitals ...
As workplaces continue to reopen, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued additional guidance addressing various return to work issues and leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The new DOL guidance, summarized below, appears on the DOL’s FFCRA Questions and Answers page ...
U.S. businesses should take note of the enhanced benefits now available to companies that self-disclose misconduct or otherwise cooperate with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under the DOJ Criminal Division’s new Corporate Enforcement Policy.[1] The policy, as revised, governs not only the DOJ’s handling of matters under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA),[2] but also the DOJ’s handling of matters under other federal criminal statutes as well ...
The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) has issued a final rule to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”). The final rule, which aims to provide clarity regarding the protections afforded to employees and duties imposed upon employers under the PWFA, is set to be published in the Federal Registrar on April 19, 2024. It will thereafter become effective on June 18, 2024, 60 days after its publication ...
On April 9, 2020, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued Q&As on COVID-19 issues. The EEOC has also updated its guidance during a pandemic for employers relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. The following are some highlights from these updates. Medical Inquiries and Exams In the updated guidance, the EEOC indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic meets the definition of a direct threat ...
Dinsmore health care partner Joseph Zielinski was published in the most recent edition of New Perspectives on Health Care Risk Management, Control and Governance, the publication of the Association of Health Care Internal Auditors. His article, "The Effectiveness of Your Compliance Program," covers how to effectively audit your organization's compliance program while gaining valuable insights. An excerpt is below ...
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a public statement on its website on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, providing updated guidance on acceptable employment practices in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The statement highlights common questions employers may have regarding how to manage employee issues related to COVID-19 and provides guidance ...
If you have a credit report, there is a good chance that you are one of the 143 million American consumers whose sensitive personal information was exposed in a data breach at Equifax, one of the nation’s three major credit reporting agencies ...
On January 26, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) threw up its hands, concluding cannabidiol (“CBD”) products are not a good fit for the agency’s food and supplement framework. Instead, the FDA is calling on Congress to develop a new regulatory pathway for CBD “that balances individuals’ desire for access to CBD products with the regulatory oversight needed to manage risks ...
State and local governments throughout the nation are struggling to address the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, enacted by Congress on March 28, 2020 appears to provide insufficient funding, and many state and local governments need more federal financial assistance ...
In Apple Inc. v. Fintiv, Inc., (IPR2020-00019, Fintiv), the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) elegantly laid out six different factors that the Board currently considers in discretionarily denying institution of an Inter Partes Review (IPR) that has a parallel district court proceeding ...
In what appears to be the first substantive dispositive ruling on a COVID-19 related business interruption insurance claim, a Michigan court has dismissed an insured’s business interruption claim, finding that the insured did not suffer a direct physical loss and no insurance coverage exists for the insured’s claim ...
On February 1, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced enforcement action for the first time under its Health Breach Notification Rule[1]. The complaint against telehealth and prescription drug discount provider GoodRx Holdings Inc. (“GoodRx”), alleges its failure to notify consumers and others of its unauthorized disclosures of consumers’ personal health information to Facebook, Google and other companies ...
Governor Mike DeWine signed Ohio House Bill 81 on June 16, 2021, codifying a significant change regarding eligibility for temporary total disability benefits (TTD) under Ohio Revised Code §4123.56(F). By enacting R.C. §4123.56(F), the legislature intended to leave behind decades of case law concerning the doctrine of voluntary abandonment ...
In its second tranche of major standards reduction, The Joint Commission will eliminate or consolidate 210 accreditation standards across many of its programs. The modification to the affected standards will be effective August 27, 2023. The reduction is part of a major review effort of Joint Commission requirements announced in September of 2022 ...
The proverb is true – it does take two to tango. It is equally true in mediation. For adversaries to reach a resolution, they need to come to terms on the merits. To maximize the chances of a successful resolution, they should also be of the correct mindset. I have found that one mindset maximizes the chances of success. “Win/Lose.” By definition, parties come to mediation with a dispute. Frequently, the parties are embroiled in litigation ...
