On November 7, 2023, Ohio voters made Ohio the twenty-fourth state in the United States to legalize the recreational possession and use of marijuana. Ohio Revised Code (R.C.) Section 3780, which is subject to amendment by the...more
11/10/2023
/ Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Drug Testing ,
Drug-Free Workplace Act ,
Election Results ,
Employment Policies ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Marijuana ,
OSHA ,
Recreational Use ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections
March 2021 marks one year since the beginning of state-mandated stay-at-home orders and workplace shutdowns due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has caused the most significant disruption to workplaces in...more
3/16/2021
/ Caregivers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disaster Preparedness ,
Diversity ,
Essential Workers ,
Fraud ,
Gender Equity ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Public Health ,
Social Distancing
On January 12, 2021, Governor Mike DeWine signed into law House Bill (H.B.) 352, which makes significant and sweeping changes to how employment discrimination claims will be handled in the State of Ohio. H.B. 352 amends...more
On October 6, 2020, in Bennett v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville, No. 19-5818, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed a district court’s decision in favor of a public employee who claimed that the city...more
11/11/2020
/ Appeals ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Hate Speech ,
Offensive Language ,
Presidential Elections ,
Public Employees ,
Public Employers ,
Racial Bias ,
Reversal ,
Slurs ,
Social Networks
On August 19, 2020, in Marquardt v. Carlton, et al., No. 19-4223, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed summary judgment for the City of Cleveland on a former employee’s claim that the city had terminated...more
8/31/2020
/ Appeals ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Online Platforms ,
Political Speech ,
Public Employees ,
Public Forum ,
Retaliation ,
Reversal ,
Summary Judgment
On May 29, 2020, Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton issued the “Director’s Updated and Revised Order for Business Guidance and Social Distancing.” As expected, the new order extends many of...more
On May 14, 2020, Governor Mike DeWine announced an order to continue Ohio’s phased reopening of the state’s economy, adding daycare centers, summer camps, gyms, campgrounds, and pools to the list of businesses that may now...more
The United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned employers in a joint statement issued on April 13, 2020, that they are “on alert” and working together to...more
As the news reports show, the sudden shift to employees working from home poses new cybersecurity risks for businesses and the employees who work remotely. Below are 10 important measures that can help mitigate these...more
An employer’s response to COVID-19 involves numerous privacy issues. Below are some answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about these issues within the United States and globally, based on laws such as the Americans...more
On December 12, 2019, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that a sexual misconduct complainant’s fear of further contact with the respondent was not enough to support a claim against the university...more
Data breaches continue to be an unfortunate risk that companies face with increasing frequency. In this podcast, Rebecca Bennett, Stephen Riga, and Justin Tarka discuss data breaches from both a U.S. and EU perspective,...more
12/17/2018
/ Best Practices ,
Breach Notification Rule ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
EU ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
Hackers ,
Personal Data ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Third-Party Service Provider
Employers beware: Companies are experiencing a wave of phishing scams that target employee paychecks. Here is the scenario: An employee receives from a company email account e-mail that mimics a familiar and trusted company...more
If spending is a good indicator of shifting priorities for both business and government, then cybersecurity is quickly becoming priority number one.
Last week, the White House announced a proposed 10 percent increase...more
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the latest high-profile business victim of data theft. The consequences have been significant. In response to threats of violence, Sony has reconsidered its range of options for the...more
Yesterday afternoon, in DeBoer v. Snyder, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an eagerly-awaited opinion, upholding laws in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Tennessee banning same-sex marriage. The court held that laws...more