Business Law | Blog for Business Law

— By Gerry RichardsonMarch 29, 20210 Comments

OSHA ANNOUNCES NEW WORKPLACE COVID-19 ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS

Shortly after taking office, President Biden directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) to increase its enforcement by “launch[ing] a national program to focus OSHA Covid-19 related enforcement activities.” Specifically, he adopted an executive order that instructed OSHA to initiate “a national program to…

— By Don V. KellyFebruary 18, 20210 Comments

Another Example of How Copyright Law Touches Our Everyday Lives: The Georgia Official Code Case

Keywords: Copyright, Supreme Court, Georgia, Public.Resource.Org., annotations, OCGA, Government Edicts Doctrine Introduction One would think that when a state creates an “official” code of its statutes, the public would have the right to freely copy and share that collection of laws. One would also think…

— By Gerry RichardsonJanuary 29, 20210 Comments

WHAT QUESTIONS DO EMPLOYERS NEED TO ASK ABOUT COVID-19 VACCINATIONS?

On November 20, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorizations (“EUA”) for the first Covid-19 vaccination manufactured by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals and BioNTech SE for use in persons age 16 years and older. The agency has since granted a similar EUA on…

— By Denise BlochDecember 3, 20200 Comments

Beware of Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Speaker Programs

Federal alert indicates increased focus on speaker programs and their
potential to violate the anti-kickback statute

— By Joseph S. von KaenelNovember 5, 20200 Comments

SEC Updates Accredited Investor Definition

The Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted amendments to the “accredited investor” definition contained in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D which is one of the principal tests for determining who is eligible to invest in private capital raising transactions.

— By Gerry RichardsonJuly 31, 20200 Comments

HOW DOES THE LAW REGULATE MASS LAYOFFS AND PLANT CLOSINGS?

Recently, the Commerce Department disclosed the most devastating three-month collapse of the U.S. economy ever. In the second quarter of 2020, the gross domestic product fell by 9.5%. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic reached throughout the economy. Consumers cut their spending. Businesses reduced their…

— By Brendan MurphyApril 23, 20200 Comments

Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Effective Estate Planning in a Pandemic

For many of our business clients, addressing the realities of estate and business succession planning amid the COVID-19 pandemic may seem unnecessarily alarmist or generally depressing. However, it is an all too necessary and practical concern for the sober-eyed, forward-thinking business leaders that make up…

— By Gerry RichardsonApril 2, 20200 Comments

HOW DOES THE COLLISION OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC WITH WORKPLACES POSE SAFETY ISSUES FOR EMPLOYERS?

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (“OSH Act”), requires employers to satisfy the safety and health standards and regulations issued and enforced either by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) or by an OSHA-approved State Plan. In addition, the OSH Act’s General Duty Clause,…

— By Gerry RichardsonMarch 20, 20200 Comments

COVID-19 DISRUPTS WORKPLACES AND CONFRONTS EMPLOYERS WITH COMPLICATED LABOR AND EMPLOYMENT LAW ISSUES

The COVID-19 Pandemic has forced employers to face public health, customer service, workforce, travel, and business disruptions in constantly evolving circumstances. Many of the decisions that employers must make on-the-fly create unintended consequences with serious labor and employment law liability issues. This blog will address employment discrimination and leave law-related issues raised by the Covid-19 pandemic.

— By Gerry RichardsonDecember 19, 20190 Comments

ILLINOIS LAW LEGALIZING CANNABIS FOR ADULTS IN THE NEW YEAR MAKES EMPLOYER DRUG TESTING AND DISCIPLINARY ACTION FOR WORKPLACE MARIJUANA USE HAZY

I. Illinois’ New Law Legalizing Cannabis for Adults Authorizes Employers to Maintain Zero Tolerance or Drug Free Workplace Policies and to Conduct Drug Testing. The Illinois General Assembly enacted the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act (“Cannabis Act”) on May 31, 2019. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed…