Alerts

On July 21, 2014, President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order (the Order) prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity by federal contractors and agencies.

On July 14, 2014, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued a new Enforcement Guidance on “Pregnancy Discrimination and Related Issues.”

On July 14, 2014, the DC Council unanimously approved the Fair Criminal Record Screening Act (the Act) that bars private employers from asking about an applicant’s criminal conviction record until the employer has extended a conditional job offer.

In Lawson, the Court held that employees of a mutual fund, traditionally outside the coverage of Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), are nonetheless protected by its whistleblower provision.

The Ninth Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of a putative class action against Redbox, holding that its ZIP code collection practices fall within an exception to California’s Song-Beverly Credit Card Act of 1971 (Song-Beverly Act).

On July 16, 2014, the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) escalated Russian sanctions by issuing “Sectoral Sanctions” — prohibitions on certain finance related transactions with certain entities, including two major Russian banks and two oil and natural gas producers.

All good wealth management includes estate planning as a component. Changes in the tax laws, modern trust conventions and family changes make periodic reviews of estate plans a real necessity.

On July 17, 2014, responding in part to the expiration of numerous tax incentives last December 31, the House of Representatives approved by a 277–130 vote a bill (H.R. 4719, The America Gives More Act) containing permanent extension of several tax incentives related to charitable deductions.

The crux of the issue the District Court considered was the interplay between sections 363(f) and 365(h) of the Bankruptcy Code.

The DC Circuit recently held that the attorney-client privilege applies to internal investigations, even when the investigations are mandated by law and are not conducted with the sole purpose of obtaining or providing legal advice.

On July 11, 2014, the FDA issued a new Draft Guidance (the Guidance) that will require drug companies to submit information on most drug samples that they distribute in the United States. The new Guidance is entitled “Reporting Drug Sample Information Under Section 6004 of the Affordable Care Act.”

The decisions in Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom were significant victories for employers, but the extent and consequences of these victories have yet to be seen.

The employment application process has become increasingly complex and a growing source of litigation for retailers and other employers.

Currently, the federal circuits are split over the level of deference that should be afforded to findings made by the USPTO’s Trademark Trial & Appeal Board (TTAB) on likelihood of confusion, with the circuit courts applying at least five different standards.

On June 23, 2014, the California Supreme Court issued a long anticipated decision in Iskanian v. CLS Transportation Los Angeles, LLC, S20403 upholding the validity of employee class action waivers but carved out an exception for representative actions pursuant to the Private Attorney General Act.

On June 25, 2014, in a unanimous decision, the US Supreme Court struck down the “presumption of prudence” afforded ERISA fiduciaries with respect to employer stock investments in employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and defined contribution plans.

The US Supreme Court this morning granted cert in a closely watched False Claims Act (FCA) case, Kellogg Brown & Root Services, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Carter — a case that raises important questions about wartime suspension of the FCA’s statute of limitations.

In a relatively narrow ruling that may have far greater practical ramifications than constitutional ones, a unanimous US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down President Obama’s 2012 recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board).

The settlement was denied because the opt-in collective action members would have to “not sue defendants in exchange for zero cash.”

On June 19, 2014, in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, 573 U.S. ___2014, a unanimous Supreme Court held that systems and methods of exchanging financial obligations, implemented in hardware or software, did not qualify for patent protection.

Our value-driven approach to client service is what distinguishes our team of lawyers as one of the premier Communications, Mobile, and Technology practices in the country.

This term, the Supreme Court docket includes a number of cases that could dramatically impact the labor and employment law landscape.