By: Steven J. Dickinson, Robert K. Magovern, and James F. Van Orden , Cozen O’Connor The omnibus budget act signed by President Trump on December 27 reinstituted the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), with significant changes. The act allows new...

PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS CANNOT IMPOSE FEES ON NON-MEMBERS, SUPREME COURT RULES PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS CANNOT REQUIRE NON-MEMBERS to contribute to expenses related to union business, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, overturning a 41-year-old decision. Janus...

SUPREME COURT AFFIRMS CONSTITUTIONALITY OF AIA PATENT REVIEW PROCESS A PROVISION IN THE AMERICA INVENTS ACT (AIA) allowing for pre-trial review of existing patents does not violate Article III or the Seventh Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the...

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SETS NEW GUIDELINES FOR INTERN COMPENSATION THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL) HAS ADOPTED new guidelines for determining whether interns working at for-profit companies are entitled to compensation under the federal Fair Labor...

D.C. COURT ORDERS EEOC TO RECONSIDER WORKPLACE WELLNESS RULES IN AN ACTION BROUGHT BY THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION of Retired Persons (AARP), the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has ordered the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

SUPREME COURT TO RULE ON VALIDITY OF CLASS WAIVERS IN EMPLOYMENT CONTEXT By: Lexis Practice Advisor Staff THE U.S. SUPREME COURT IS expected to decide this term whether the collective-bargaining provisions of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA...

SEXUAL ORIENTATION DISCRIMINATION UNDER TITLE VII REMAINS HOT-BUTTON ISSUE By: Bender’s Labor & Employment Bulletin, Volume 17, Issue 7 RECENTLY, THREE OF THE U.S. CIRCUIT COURTS OF APPEAL addressed the issue of whether discrimination...

THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE (USPTO) With the enactment of the America Invents Act in 2011, the PTAB was charged with conducting proceedings to address challenges to existing patents. Those proceedings “have significantly changed...

HHS AGENCY PROPOSES RULE TO STABILIZE INSURANCE MARKETPLACE THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES (CMS) issued a proposed rule aimed at stabilizing individual and small group health insurance markets in anticipation of Congress’ possible...

FEDERAL COURT FAST TRACKS REVIEW OF RULING BLOCKING IMPLEMENTATION OF OVERTIME REGULATIONS THE FIFTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS ISSUED A BRIEF order December 8 granting expedited review of a November 22 ruling by a federal judge in the Eastern District...

STUDY ON INJECTION WELL INDUCED EARTHQUAKES THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY (USGS) RECENTLY released its short-term forecast for seismic activity. For the first time, it includes a discussion of “Induced Earthquakes.” The study, which comes...

FDIC HIGHLIGHTS RESOURCES ON BANKING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE Corporation highlighted the agency’s resources to help small businesses get the most from their banking relationships. Small businesses employ roughly...

SEVENTEEN STATE “NEW ENERGY FUTURE” COALITION FORMED GOVERNOR ANDREW M. CUOMO AND 16 OTHER GOVERNORS signed the Governors’ Accord for a New Energy Future. The accord describes six shared goals, diversification of energy generation...

HIGH-IMPACT EVENT TO GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM MORE LIKELY, PREDICT FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS ACCORDING TO ONE MEASURE, RECENT WORLD EVENTS have financial professionals unnerved. Forty-five percent of those surveyed by the Depository Trust & Clearing...

ENERGY DEPARTMENT UNVEILS ROADMAP SEEKING TO DOUBLE U.S. ENERGY PRODUCTIVITY BY 2030 THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY HAS UNVEILED A strategic plan laying out a path businesses, state and local governments, consumers, and other stakeholders can use to...