On February 2, 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) published a final rule increasing civil monetary penalties for violations of several federal wildlife and natural resource protection laws (Final Rule). The...more
On July 30, 1778, the Second Continental Congress passed the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1778, which is considered to be the first whistleblower law in world history. Much has changed in two and a half centuries, but very...more
This January, the Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce announced updated civil monetary penalties for violations of federal wildlife and natural resource protection laws including the Endangered Species...more
H.R. 263: Big Cat Public Safety Act was passed Congress on December 6, 2022 — next stop — the President. If enacted, the amendments to the Lacey Act would revise restrictions on the possession and exhibition of big cats,...more
The Department of State (“State Department”) recently announced that it is seeking public comments related to the Biden-Harris administration’s Executive Order on Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local...more
On July 2, 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a Federal Register Notice announcing that additional plant and plant products (including certain wood-based...more
In the past several years, some high-profile federal enforcement cases have confirmed the importance of awareness of, and compliance with, the Lacey Act. The first notable enforcement action under the Lacey Act took place...more
The use of beauty products is “an understudied source of environmental chemical exposures” with a disparate effect on women of color, George Washington University and Occidental College researchers argue. Ami R. Zota, et al.,...more
Shumaker is pleased to present the Summer 2017 issue of insights. In it we discuss: - Proposition 65 Amendments Require Re-evaluation of Products and Warnings - Privacy Compliance Driven by the European Union...more
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) published an interim rule (pdf) revising its civil procedure regulations for the assessment of civil penalties for violations of various laws and regulations within the Service’s...more
Dear Friends, After returning from a two week trip to China to work on the Solar Cells case, this March blog post will cover trade policy, including Trump’s impact on Trade Policy, trade, Customs, False Claims Act, the...more
On October 7, 2015, Lumber Liquidators agreed to plead guilty to five criminal charges, including one felony, stemming from the purchase and import of certain wood products through three separate Chinese suppliers. The plea...more
On Wednesday, April 29, 2015, Lumber Liquidators announced in its most recent 10Q that the United States Department of Justice plans to pursue criminal charges surrounding allegations the company illegally imported wood in...more
The search warrant recently executed by U.S. Customs and Fish and Wildlife Service agents on a Virginia-based flooring wholesaler surrounded allegations that the company had illegally imported wood in violation of the Lacey...more
I thought about the Astros futility when reading about the Criminal Enforcement Agreement (CEA) entered into by Gibson Guitar Corp (Gibson) for violations of the Lacey Act, which is a 111-year-old law, originally enacted to...more