In preparation for H-1B CAP Registration season, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a final rule that limits each foreign worker to one entry into the H-1B lottery system. The H-1B Registration process had previously required companies, or other petitioners, to register with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) and submit their requests for the individuals they sought to sponsor as part of the H-1B process ...
The Supreme Court of Texas has issued its much-anticipated opinion on an open attorney’s fees question in the area of First Party Property appraisals. The issue came to the Texas Supreme Court on a certified question from the 5th Circuit and considers the practical effect of the Texas Legislature’s 2017 amendments to the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act, Chapter 542, Insurance Code ...
This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) announced a new fee schedule that is slated to go into effect on April 1, 2024. Although it has been seven years since the last comprehensive fee increase, the new fees represent a substantial increase across several different forms and case types. Notable fee increases include: I-129 Petition for H1B nonimmigrant workers increases from the current level of $460 to $780 ...
Fintech companies and their partners are on alert as a flurry of new state and federal cybersecurity requirements take effect. The New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) both recently finalized changes that will create additional compliance obligations, expand existing regulations to new entities and mandate that banks and fintech firms move quickly to update their cybersecurity policies and incident-response capabilities ...
Non-compete agreements are generally enforceable in Florida, if they are justified by a legitimate business interest and they are reasonable in time, area and line of business. However, a 2019 law invalidated non-compete agreements with certain physicians. Under Section 542 ...
Introduction The United States Trustee Program is part of the United States Department of Justice and oversees the administration of bankruptcy cases, including oversight of panel trustees. When a bankruptcy court grants a motion to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee, the United States Trustee (“UST”) is responsible for selecting and appointing the individual who will serve in such capacity ...
Last year, a would-be H-1B nonimmigrant employee had about a 14% chance of their registration being selected in the annual lottery. In response to backlash from U.S. employers following the extraordinary low selection rate for FY 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acknowledged the H-1B cap registration process, implemented in 2020, allows for misuse and fraud and proposed changes to increase fairness and efficiency ...
State efforts to address the 340B Drug Program[1] continue to ramp up in 2024. Early this January, Kentucky Senator Stephen Meredith introduced Senate Bill 27 ("SB-27"), which intends to address a number of purchasing restrictions drug manufacturers unilaterally imposed on health care providers participating in the 340B Program ...
On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (the “DOL”) announced the final rule regarding when employers can classify workers as independent contractors under federal labor law. The DOL first proposed the rule in October of 2022. What Employers Need to Know The DOL’s new rule has consequences for employers. More individuals are likely to be classified as employees rather than independent contractors. Most federal and state labor laws apply only to employees ...
In June of 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States unanimously held in American Hospital Association v. Becerra that the United States Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) overstepped their statutory authority when cutting 340B-related reimbursements to hospitals from 2018 through 2022 ...
Beginning January 1, 2024, companies created or registered in the United States will have to report information about their ownership to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, pursuant to The Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA” or the “Act”). For more information, see our prior alert on this topic here ...
The U.S. Department of State has released details on a proposed pilot program testing the agency’s ability to resume domestic visa renewals for certain nonimmigrant visa categories and to study the effect the program has on reducing visa wait times worldwide. The program will begin on January 29, 2024 and end on April 1, 2024 ...
Recent changes to Ohio law have licensed health care professionals asking themselves when was the last time they confirmed or updated their email address, and other contact information, with agencies like the State Medical Board of Ohio, the Ohio Board of Nursing or the Board of Pharmacy? The impetus for such reflection is that Ohio licensing agencies may now serve significant legal documents exclusively through email, or a last-known fax number, as opposed to registered or certified mail thro
We’re entering the season of giving. Over the coming weeks, Americans across the nation will gather with family and friends to celebrate the holidays and give selflessly to the people and causes they love. Unfortunately, the Biden administration might be embracing the giving spirit a little too much. Federal officials may soon decide to give away key domestic assets — American intellectual property (IP) — to our rivals ...
In the New Year, the United States Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments over the damages a plaintiff can recover in a copyright infringement lawsuit. The Supreme Court will consider the question of whether damages are limited only to the three-year period before the plaintiffs filed suit, or whether they can be retrospectively awarded for a longer period, as long as the plaintiffs filed within three years of discovering the infringement. In Warner Chappell Music Inc. v ...
The United States Supreme Court will soon decide whether public officials may be liable for blocking constituents on social media. On October 31, 2023, the Court heard oral argument in O’Connor-Ratcliff v. Garnier[i] and Lindke v. Freed,[ii] cases in which local school board officials and a city manager, respectively, are alleged to have blocked constituents from commenting on, or viewing, public social media accounts used for both government business as well as personal affairs ...
On November 7, 2023, Ohio voters passed Issue 2, a measure that will legalize the purchase and use of recreational marijuana. By passing this initiative, Ohio becomes the 24th state to legalize recreational marijuana. Issue 2 creates Chapter 3780 of the Ohio Revised Code. This new law will become effective on December 7, 2023 ...
A recent decision by the Ohio First District Court of Appeals holds the discovery rule does not apply to construction defect claims against design professionals. Generally, the discovery rule means that the applicable statute of limitations does not begin to run until the negligence is discovered by the injured party. However, in Breazeale v. Infrastructure & Development Engineering, Inc. (Appeal No ...
The Department of Justice (DOJ) hopes to incentivize timely disclosure of misconduct uncovered during the mergers and acquisitions process with the October 2023 announcement of a department-wide safe harbor policy. The policy, which applies across the entire department, shields companies from criminal prosecution for misconduct they discover in companies they are acquiring or have recently acquired ...
On November 7, 2023, Ohio voters passed Issue 1, the Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety, to establish the constitutional right to certain reproductive decisions. The new right will be enshrined in Section 22 of Article 1 of the Ohio Constitution, and will become effective within 30 days after the election. The passage of Issue 1 establishes in the Ohio Constitution an individual’s right to one’s own reproductive medical treatment ...
On November 7, 2023 Ohio voters approved the Issue 2 ballot initiative, which will make substantial revisions to Ohio’s cannabis laws[1] and make Ohio the 24th state[2] to legalize recreational marijuana. Issue 2 was introduced by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol which, according to the group, sought to legalize and regulate the cultivation, manufacturing, testing and sale of marijuana and marijuana products to adults and also legalize home grow for adults ...
In commercial real estate transactions, time is money, execution is everything and projects generally do not move forward without a mortgage loan. Lenders and their counsel should view a project as if the lender is the eventual buyer, owner and seller. For developers, considering the transaction from a lender’s point of view can save them considerable time and money and expedite loan closing ...
The SEC issued enforcement orders against three companies for including terms in their employment and separation agreements that violated Rule 21F-17(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1942, commonly known as the whistleblower protection rule. The rule prohibits any action that impedes an individual from communicating directly with SEC staff about a possible securities law violation ...
On October 26, 2023 the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) issued a final rule on when an entity may be considered a joint employer of a group of employees. The rule was first proposed on September 7, 2022 ...
Beginning January 1, 2024, companies created or registered in the United States will have one year to report personal information about their owners to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) will now require many companies in the United States to file personal information with the government on their ownership and business applicants ...
