On Friday, March 15, 2019, the Government of Canada amended its Russia economic sanctions regulations to add a number of new individuals and entities to the restricted party list. See Regulations Amending the Special Economic Measures… more

Federal Circuit Summary - Before Prost, Dyk, and Moore. Appeal from District of Delaware. Summary: A district court’s construction of a claim term that is contrary to the plain language of the claims and usage of the term in the… more

Readers of the blog will no doubt know that it’s been far too long since I had Nina Pirrotti on the blog for a conversation about employment law topics. Excuses abound, but Nina — who mainly represents individuals in… more

Compliance is critical for every organization. When a possible violation is discovered the compliance systems should be the first line of defense. If those systems are not, a significant question arises not just about the effectiveness… more

Activity at the General Assembly gained speed this week as the deadline for bill introduction approaches. Legislators in appropriation subcommittees continued to receive presentations regarding the Governor’s budget recommendations… more

On March 14, 2019, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board issued its 2019 Staff Inspections Outlook for Audit Committees (the “Committee Outlook”), which offers a concise outline of what audit committees should expect from the… more

A court challenge to a local agency’s decision to grant a coastal development permit becomes moot when the Coastal Commission accepts an appeal of the decision, the California court of appeal ruled in Fudge v. City of Laguna Beach, No… more

In its first update in a decade and effective January 1, 2020, the revised Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) Code of Ethics in Interactions with Health Care Professionals (Code) in the United States contains new… more

In light of some recent allegations of harassment of court employees in certain circuits, it may come as no surprise that the federal Judicial Conference recently strengthened their rules prohibiting misconduct and obligating employees… more

2018 Farm Bill: An Overview - The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, commonly known as the “2018 Farm Bill,” is an omnibus piece of legislation that Congress uses to set national agricultural, nutrition, conservation and… more

The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunity (CHRO) was sued yesterday by its longtime (and former) Regional Manager Pekah Wallace. The federal lawsuit claims her employment termination was improper and provides a whole… more

It has been another eventful news cycle for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau), as its new director, Kathy Kraninger, appeared before the House Financial Services Committee, facing tough questions about her… more

Last week, we reported on new proposed Department of Labor regulations that would raise the minimum salary for claiming the “white collar” overtime exemptions to $35,308 per year. In addition to the new salary level, the proposed rules… more

Employers have a number of tools they can use to protect against their employees walking off with trade secrets; among them, restrictive covenants or non-compete agreements can be extremely powerful. Such agreements avoid the threat of… more

In October 2018, the New York City Council passed two bills, Int. 879-2018 and Int. 905-2018, to supplement existing federal and state laws concerning lactation accommodation policies in the workplace. Currently, New York State Labor… more

The Third Circuit skirted the issue as to the means by which the employer, Scherer Design Group (“SDG”) found out about the theft. In the end, the fact that an employer may have violated the common law by accessing private accounts did… more

With the current UK withdrawal agreement voted down again, a possible Brexit extension is on the horizon. In addition, the UK Home Office has updated the immigration rules with two new startup and innovator categories, and increased… more

On February 19, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed a rule that would permit all issuers to take advantage of the “test-the-waters” accommodation that has been available to emerging growth companies under the… more

Generation-Skipping Transfer (GST) trusts have long been a popular estate tax planning tool used to defer transfer tax to a future generation. While the estate tax exemption is at a historical high, the GST tax exempt status of… more

What is the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018? In July 2018, the California legislature enacted a first-in-the-nation consumer privacy act entitled the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) . The CCPA is notable… more

Last week, China amended a draft of a proposed foreign-investment law in an effort to address global concern over forced technology transfers. The new law, which bans officials from divulging corporate secrets, was approved by the… more

In February, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released its FY 2018 Annual Report and announced a record-breaking year for the agency’s whistleblower program. Overall, whistleblowers provided information that contributed to the… more

In its latest case addressing retiree health benefits, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a collective bargaining agreement’s general durational clause controls when retiree healthcare benefits end. Zino v. Whirlpool… more

The risky business of sharing data in and outside of the healthcare system is becoming more complicated, especially as consumer use of health applications and the desire to share health data increase exponentially. Current privacy laws… more

New Shimmer’s a Floor Wax and a Dessert Topping! The Buzz couldn’t help but think of this memorable Saturday Night Live bit this week upon the release of the administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget proposal on March 11, 2019… more