All Perspectives

On May 17, the masts of a 300-foot-long Mexican naval training ship carrying 277 people collided with the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge just minutes after leaving the pier where it has been docked at the South Street Seaport in New York City, New York.

Shortly after taking office, President Trump froze funding already allocated to various parties, citing the Administration’s disapproval of issues including climate change and social equity. Additionally, executive agencies removed content discussing climate change from websites.

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

ArentFox Schiff represented Grupo Inlosa, a Mexico-based automotive retail group expanding its US operations, in acquiring Toyota of Pharr in February. The store was purchased from Penske Automotive Group Inc., a publicly traded US automotive retailer. Grupo Inlosa anticipates that the new store will complement its nearby Buick GMC dealership.

ArentFox Schiff advised Knight Automotive Group, a Canada-based automotive retail group, in its sale of Elk Grove Subaru to Lithia Motors, Inc., the nation’s largest automotive dealership group (ranked by total units sold).

ArentFox Schiff represented Trophy Automotive Dealer Group in acquiring Kia of Cerritos, the nation’s second highest-volume Kia dealership, from Lou Sobh Automotive.

As we approach midyear, the ArentFox Schiff Labor, Employment & OSHA team highlights some of the most pressing legal issues facing employers this year, including artificial intelligence (AI) regulation at the state level, reshaping of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), continuing expansion of state paid family and medical leave laws, challenges to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace, and changes to US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidance and enforcement.

On May 19, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a novel use of the False Claims Act (FCA) to enforce Trump Administration policies against antisemitism, gender identity and expression, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

On May 9, President Trump issued a new Executive Order (EO) titled “Fighting Overcriminalization in Federal Regulations” to address criminal enforcement of regulatory offenses, particularly strict liability offenses where the offender need not have had a culpable state of mind to be convicted.

On July 1, the Virginia Consumer Protection Act (VCPA), as amended by Senate Bill (SB) 754, will provide additional privacy protections for reproductive and sexual health information. The legislation expands the VCPA to expressly prohibit the unauthorized collection and use of this category of information. Businesses that violate the law may be sued by affected Virginia consumers.

There is nothing more inherently unique and personal to an individual than his or her DNA. Unlike many other types of personal information, a person’s DNA is immutable. It can be the key to unlocking extremely sensitive information, such as predisposition to certain health conditions. Unfortunately, as with all other types of personal information, it can be acquired without authorization — breached.

Health Care Partner Stephanie Trunk will participate in the External Counsel Fireside Chat at Informa Connect’s Pricing & Contracting USA 2025 conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on May 21.

Fredrick Weber will co-present with Andrew Fussner of the American Heart Association at the CCPG 2025 Annual Symposium in Chicago on May 21, 2025.

On April 25, purchasers of Nike non-fungible tokens (NFTs) filed a class action complaint in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York against the sportswear giant alleging that the December 2024 shutdown of RTFKT constituted a “brazen rug pull,” resulting in significant monetary losses for the plaintiffs.

For decades, businesses have focused on “doing more with less,” maximizing efficiency by optimizing resources and streamlining processes to achieve greater output with fewer inputs. This effort often involves leveraging technology, improving productivity, and reducing waste to maintain or enhance performance.

Since January, California officials have seized more than $316 million worth of illegal cannabis and $474,000 in cash through coordinated enforcement actions with state agency partners and local governments.

Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) are unique employee benefit plans designed to invest primarily in the stock of the sponsoring employer.

As car buyers rush to get in front of tariffs — which are widely expected to boost sticker prices — the flood of demand has been pushing new vehicle prices ever higher, with the trend unlikely to stop any time soon, experts said.

On April 8, Maryland enacted House Bill 102, further postponing the implementation of the state’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program. This latest delay, recommended by the Maryland Department of Labor, is intended to provide employers and employees with additional time to prepare for the program’s requirements.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) revised its Criminal Division Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Disclosure Policy (CEP), outlining the benefits a company may earn by voluntarily self-disclosing misconduct, as well as the path to resolution in other cases. The DOJ aimed to simplify the document and clarify the outcomes that companies can expect.

On April 22, at the direction of US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and HHS published identical statements announcing the phase-out of so-called “petroleum-based” synthetic food dyes and their replacement with “natural alternatives.”

Headlines that Matter for Companies and Executives in Regulated Industries

Fredrick Weber will co-present with Andrew Fussner of the American Heart Association at the conference in Phoenix, AZ on May 16, 2025. The conference is hosted by Arizona Charitable Gift Planners.

This week, the US House Ways and Means Committee released tax legislation that includes several provisions relevant to tax-exempt organizations.

On May 12, Matthew R. Galeotti, the head of the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Criminal Division, announced a new white collar enforcement plan, outlined changes to the Corporate Enforcement and Voluntary Disclosure Policy, and added new priority areas to the Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program Policy. The DOJ also introduced a new corporate monitor selection policy.