On Dec. 22, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warning letters to five companies for violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) related to the sale of cannabidiol (CBD) products.[i] CBD is the primary non-psychotropic compound in Cannabis sativa plant. The FDA stated the companies who were served warning letters illegally marketed CBD products for the treatment or prevention of medical conditions, including COVID-19 ...
On Jan. 19, 2021, the two recent final rules issued by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding changes to the Physician-Self Referral Law (Stark Law) and the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) regulations (respectively the OIG Final Rule and the CMS Rule, collectively the Final Rules) will become effective ...
On New Year’s Day 2021, Congress passed—over President Trump’s veto—a defense appropriations law containing the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020 (“AML Act”) and the Corporate Transparency Act, as part of a sweeping new set of anti-money laundering reforms that create important new beneficial ownership disclosure obligations for a wide range of small companies, and contain both good and bad news for financial institutions ...
On December 10, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced proposed changes to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to support individuals’ engagement in their care, remove barriers to coordinated care, and reduce regulatory burdens on the health care industry ...
The Government Emergency Ordinance no. 220/30.12.2020 on 2020 on the application of social protection measures after January 1, 2021 in the context of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, as well as for the amendment of some normative acts was published within the Official Gazette no. 1326 dated December 31, 2020 ...
On 23 December 2020, the Royal Government of Cambodia (“RGC”) issued a press release and rolled out ‘Round 7’ of measures aimed at mitigating the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses and workers in Cambodia. The RGC in their press release noted the positive update with respect to the development of a COVID-19 vaccine and the fact that Cambodia has to date managed to effectively control COVID-19 ...
This edition of our Q&A series focuses on real estate financing and loan securitization issues in the Lao PDR. Given the continuing global uncertainty and economic disruption caused by COVID-19, investors are increasingly concerned about their ability to secure, dispose or otherwise transfer assets that are often now subject to revamped or revised local rules and regulations ...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently issued its Annual Report to Congress, which provides statistics concerning bid protest filings for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, including the number of protests filed and sustained. The chart below, included in GAO's Annual Report, summarizes this information. Click here to view the summary table As shown above, most of the data points remained constant from the prior year ...
Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) updated its COVID-19 guidance to address workplace issues related to COVID-19 vaccines, including mandatory vaccination policies. According to the EEOC, employers may mandate vaccines, but must attempt to accommodate employees who refuse vaccination because of disability or a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance ...
This digest is a curated list of Bradley content regarding the coronavirus. In an effort to provide our clients with the easiest way to find information that may be beneficial in responding to the impact of COVID-19, we have provided links to our most recent blog posts, news alerts, webinar recordings and more. Additionally, this digest will now be deployed on a weekly basis in an effort to reduce the number of emails our clients receive ...
The Government of the Russian Federation approved new rules covering the remuneration payment for employees’ inventions, utility models and industrial designs (“Rules”) by the Decree dated November 16th 2020, No. 1848 (“Decree”). The Decree comes into force on January 1 st 2021 and will be valid for 6 years, until January 1 st 2027. The text of the Decree is available in Russian here ...
The 2020 Investment Priorities Plan (2020 IPP) has been promulgated by the Philippine President under Memorandum Order No. 50 dated November 18, 2020 (https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/2020/11nov/20201118-MO-50-RRD.pdf), and it became effective on December 6, 2020. The IPP is issued pursuant to the Omnibus Investments Code of 1987 (Executive Order No. 226), as amended (Omnibus Investments Code) ...
This edition of our Q&A series focuses on real estate financing and loan securitization issues in Bangladesh. Given the continuing global uncertainty and economic disruption caused by COVID-19, investors are increasingly concerned about their ability to secure, dispose or otherwise transfer assets that are often now subject to revamped or revised local rules and regulations ...
As part of our ongoing focus on social mobility, we look at the impacts of the pandemic on existing and new social mobility challenges, how we're responding, and what businesses can focus on in 2021. 2020 has been a year like no other. The way we live, work, and connect has changed significantly. The way we do business continues to evolve ...
An important update to Georgia’s statutory lien waiver laws will take effect on January 1, 2021. This summer, Georgia enacted an amendment to O.C.G.A. § 44-14-366 (the Lien Waiver Statute), that alters the form for interim and final lien waivers. The new statute makes it clear that lien waivers only waive lien or bond rights against the property and do not waive the right to file a lawsuit for non-payment or other related claims ...
It behooves construction professionals, be they materials manufacturers, general contractors, or lower-tier subcontractors, to carry some form of commercial general liability insurance (“CGL Insurance”). Having such coverage alleviates some of the potential risk and financial exposure a construction professional carries on a particular project. That is, of course, unless the construction professional gets sued and the insurer refuses to pay ...
The United States Sixth Circuit Court recently upheld a party’s contractual right to arbitration despite pre-lawsuit, informal letters suggesting that the parties litigate in court. In Borror Property Management, LLC v. Oro Karric North, LLC, the Sixth Circuit heard a dispute arising out of an Ohio federal trial court decision related to whether a party waived its arbitration right ...
2020 has been a year of new challenges and uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite these turbulent times, the Norwegian real estate market has remained relatively stable and strong. According to the last known reports and statistics, we see a total transaction value that has surpassed NOK 51 billion in 2020, compared to NOK 100 billion in 2019. The project finance facilitators remain more active than ever ...
Most rental property owners (Owners) are subject to federal, state, and local anti-discrimination housing laws. When an Owner receives notice of a complaint alleging violations of these laws, it is important to take the complaint very seriously. There are significant business, financial, public relations, and personal risks involved with a fair-housing complaint ...
While most Americans are likely aware that President Donald Trump signed a pandemic relief and government spending bill into law on Dec. 27, 2020 (the “Omnibus Bill”),[i] it is important for those who have intellectual property assets to understand that tucked away into this nearly 5,600-page legislation are laws impacting copyrights, trademarks, and patents ...
The dust has now settled on the new stimulus bill signed by President Trump on December 27, 2020. The changes to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) were buried in over 5,000 pages of text and provide a choice for employers to continue paid leave benefits for their employees as follows: Congress extended the tax credits for employers that provide both paid sick leave and paid family leave through March 31, 2021 ...
On December 27, 2020, President Trump signed the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act (the Act) into law. The Act provides $900 billion of relief, including expanding certain relief previously provided under the CARES Act (e.g., $600 additional stimulus checks for certain individuals and $275 billion in additional Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans) ...
On Dec. 23, 2020, The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its long-anticipated Final Rule addressing which employees may legally participate in “tip pooling” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the conditions under which employers may claim “tip credit.” The Final Rule is effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register and constitutes a major departure from past guidance ...
This edition of our Q&A series focuses on real estate financing and loan securitization issues in Bangladesh. Given the continuing global uncertainty and economic disruption caused by COVID-19, investors are increasingly concerned about their ability to secure, dispose or otherwise transfer assets that are often now subject to revamped or revised local rules and regulations ...
