What Do I Do with Noncompete Agreements Now that the FTC Has Banned Them?
On Tuesday, the FTC announced a rule that will ban noncompete agreements nationwide. What should you do?… more
On Tuesday, the FTC announced a rule that will ban noncompete agreements nationwide. What should you do?… more
The US Department of Labor (DOL) released its highly awaited final overtime rule. The final rule dramatically increases salary threshold among for “white collar” employees to be exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act… more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), in a 3-2 vote, approved a final rule that renders existing non-competition agreements for employees working in for-profit businesses unenforceable, with the exception of… more
Who may be interested: Investment Advisers, Broker-Dealers - Quick Take: The SEC settled charges against an investment adviser for widespread recordkeeping deficiencies related to the adviser’s failure to obtain, maintain and… more
On April 11, the U.S. Treasury Department promulgated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) amending the regulations that govern the operations of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to increase penalties… more
On April 20, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law New York State’s Budget for fiscal year 2025. The enacted Budget includes appropriation bills and other legislation required to carry out the budget for the coming… more
Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two final regulations that added new requirements for states when operating their Medicaid programs. Medicaid is currently the largest health insurer in the… more
Earlier this week, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new rule designating two per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), as hazardous… more
A U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Missouri recently granted a defendant’s summary judgment motion in a Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) case, holding that the plaintiff lacked standing because she did not show… more
In the fall of 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) each ratified new agreements, amending and building upon their collective bargaining… more
Fine Art Title Insurance Artwork title insurance reimburses an insured if another owner makes a claim to the title of a piece of artwork that the insured purchased. This is an important coverage, which is often purchased as a… more
On April 19, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its long-awaited final rule designating perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), including their salts and structural isomers, as… more
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has been regulating new and existing chemicals for almost 50 years. Under the TSCA, the EPA was given broad authority to track the thousands of existing commercial chemicals and regulate any new… more
The Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment – Division of Environmental Quality and J-Square, Inc. (“J-Square”) entered into an April 18th Consent Administrative Order (“CAO”) addressing alleged violations of the Arkansas… more
Recently, the United States Supreme Court unanimously determined that under certain circumstances, an intra-company job transfer can form the basis for a discrimination claim under Title VII. This opinion alters the legal landscape and… more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to approve the Final Rule that (1) prohibits employers from entering into non-compete agreements with workers and (2) requires employers to rescind nearly all existing… more
On April 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury), as Chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which is the first substantive update to… more
On April 23, 2024, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued final rules which expand what it means to provide fiduciary “investment advice” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) and Section 4975… more
On April 11, 2024, Lt. Governor Patrick issued interim charges for Senate committees to study in preparation for the 89th Legislative Session. Interim charges are directives to committees to study specific policy issues and make… more
With the end of the first quarter of 2024, we highlight five developments, changes, or challenges that health systems, hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, physician practices, health insurers, and other health care providers, companies… more
IP is again being celebrated this year on April 26, with the World Intellectual Property Organization paying homage to the intersection of IP and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and “[b]uilding our common future with… more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) conducted a special Open Commission Meeting to vote on a Final Rule (the “Rule”) banning most non-compete clauses as an “unfair method of competition.” By a vote of 3-2, the Rule… more
The following is Part 2 of a 3-Part series reporting on the 26 presentations at the DirectEmployers (“DE”) Annual Meeting & Conference (DEAMcon24) of Members and the public. DE published the first installment on Monday, April 15, and… more
On April 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Medicare Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems (IPPS) Proposed Rule, an annual rulemaking that broadly addresses payment… more
Normally, the path most traveled is thought to be the better road as it represents the path that leads to achieving goals and success while the less traveled path leads to stressful processes and unknowns. But for firms trying to… more
On Friday, April 19, 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced its final rule designating perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as hazardous substances under the… more
On April 18, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), Justice Department (“DOJ”), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) launched an online reporting portal, HealthyCompetition.gov, for the public to report… more
A big sigh of relief for franchisors: the FTC’s new rule prohibiting non-compete covenants will not apply to the franchisor-franchisee relationship. As expected by many, yesterday the FTC adopted sweeping new prohibitions against… more
With the voluntary carbon offset market being unregulated in the United States, California Assembly Bill No. 1305 (AB 1305) was enacted to confirm the authenticity of claimed emissions offsets, emphasizing the need to ensure the… more
After more than a year of considering tens of thousands of public comments, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has voted 3-to-2 to adopt a Final Rule (the “Rule”) that would effectively ban almost all employee non-compete agreements… more
Many private collectors think that they don’t need an additional fine art insurance policy because they assume that their homeowner’s insurance policy will cover damage to their fine art. This is a critical error, however, as most… more
Non-Compete Clauses Banned By The FTC - In January 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking for a comprehensive ban on employee non-compete clauses. The FTC received over 26,000 comments from… more
Following a 2022 ProPublica article reporting on the use of a third-party software to inflate rents in “a new kind of cartel,” a new wave of antitrust enforcement and class actions targets companies using pricing algorithms, including… more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted to issue a final rule that would prevent most employers from enforcing noncompete agreements against workers, with only limited exceptions for existing noncompetes with senior executives and… more
On April 19, 2024, the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (“DOE”) issued its long-awaited and lengthy Final Title IX regulations (the “2024 Final Rule”). The 2024 Final Rule requires that all educational… more
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently doubled down on its January 26, 2023 position that existing regulatory pathways for foods and dietary supplements are not appropriate to manage the risks of cannabidiol (CBD) and a… more
On January 29, 2024, Charles E. Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison for committing one of the largest heists in the history of the federal government. Littlejohn did not steal gold or cash, but rather, confidential data… more
The Institute of Recycling Industries (“ISRI”) announced in an April 18th news release that it is now the Recycled Materials Association (“ReMA”). The new name was announced at the Association’s ISRI 2024 Conference and Exhibition… more
The SEC’s enforcement action sends a clear message that the Commission intends to enforce “off-channel communication” violations against private fund advisers that are not affiliated with a broker-dealer… more
Welcome to Compliance Notes from Nossaman’s Government Relations & Regulation Group – a periodic digest of the headlines, statutory and regulatory changes and court cases involving campaign finance, lobbying compliance, election law… more
In recent months, market participants have become increasingly optimistic about the probability of a “soft landing” in the US economy, whereby tight monetary policy is shown to have tamed inflation whilst avoiding triggering a… more
On April 23, 2024, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted 3-2 to ban the use of nearly all noncompete agreements in America’s for-profit businesses (with only a few narrow exceptions). The party-line vote comes after 26,000… more
The focus in Web3 law the past few weeks has been on jurisdictional issues when litigating matters involving borderless digital asset transactions. This is expected to be an ongoing issue, as courts work through these challenges in… more
On April 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor issued its Final Rule making major changes in the minimum salary requirements for overtime exempt salaried employees. Specifically, the rule raised the minimum salary threshold from its… more
Lost amidst the hoopla of invalidated non-competes and overtime rules, the U.S. Department of Labor issued its long-awaited final fiduciary rule (the “Final Rule”) yesterday. The Final Rule is more limited in scope than the proposed… more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday, April 23, issued its final rule that prevents most employers from enforcing noncompetes against workers. The 3-2 vote by commissioners comes nearly a year and a half after the rule was… more
Less than one day after the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued its Final Rule that would enact a nationwide ban on most non-competition agreements, at least two lawsuits have been filed against the FTC which seek to invalidate the… more
On April 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its final rule on “Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees”, which extends overtime… more
In its recent judgment in Tristan Oil Ltd v The Scheme Creditors (BVIHCM 2023/0120) the BVI Commercial Court (the Hon. Justice Paul Webster (Ag.)) has considered the question of when a party not bound by a scheme of arrangement has… more
After a year of uncertainty, the FTC has issued a Final Rule banning employment non-competes nationwide. The Commission has determined that non-competes themselves constitute an unfair method of competition in violation of Section 5 of… more
Despite the recent downward trend in DOJ healthcare industry settlements, the first quarter of 2024 saw many noteworthy False Claims Act (FCA) and civil healthcare fraud settlements related to alleged kickbacks, medically unnecessary… more
On April 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued its “Defining and Delimiting Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees” Final Rule (the “Final Rule”). Significant… more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved, by a 3-2 vote, a final rule that would void and ban nearly all employee non-compete agreements in the United States. The rule will take effect 120 days after it is… more
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) voted 3-2 to issue a proposed final rule (“Final Rule”), which, absent a successful legal challenge, will ban most noncompete agreements in the United States. Despite more than… more
On April 23, 2024, the United States Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) issued a Final Rule (the “Final Rule”) that would prohibit the use of non-compete clauses with most American workers..… more
On April 15, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued its long-awaited final rule and interpretive guidance implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). As noted in AFS’s previous alerts (here and here)… more
In the realm of litigation, the management of electronically stored information (ESI) is a pivotal component that can significantly influence the trajectory and outcome of a case. The recent ruling in Doe LS 340 v. Uber Technologies… more
On April 23, 2024, by a 3-2 straight party-line vote, the Federal Trade Commission issued a Final Rule banning virtually all non-compete agreements. The new rule does contain limited exceptions for existing non-compete agreements for… more
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