Hot off the presses from our United States Supreme Court is a decision decided February 21, 2012 affirming a broad construction of the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”). While the decision, Marmet Healthcare Center, Inc. v. Clayton Brown, 565 U.S. – (2012) No. 11391, would appear to be a case of narrow import – it reverses a decision of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals that held arbitration provisions in nursing home contracts to be invalid – the language is far reaching ...
In this day and age it is commonplace for employers to issue communication devices such as Blackberries, iPhones and Androids (collectively “PDAs”) to employees. These devices allow employees to work and respond to emails and other communications without being tethered to their desks. They are beneficial to both the employer and employee – PDAs help the employer by increasing employee productivity and help the employee by allowing greater work flexibility ...
President Obama announced on January 4, 2012, that he would use his power of recess appointment to fill three vacancies on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). All three appointees had been formally nominated by the President for their positions but the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee had not yet acted on any of the nominations. The new members are Sharon Block (D), Terence F. Flynn (R), and Richard Griffin (D) ...
The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is proposing changes to the regulations that govern the Family and Medical Leave Act (the “FMLA” or the “Act”). The proposed changes include provisions relating to an employer’s ability to opt to use different increments of FMLA under certain circumstances and clarify an employer’s responsibility to reinstate an employee after FMLA leave in situations where it may be impossible, as opposed to inconvenient, to reinstate an employee mid-shift ...
The scope of additional hypothecs was examined by the Superior Court of September 6, 2011 in the case of Banque Nationale Du Canada v. Larouche. At issues in this case was whether the additional hypothec provision contained in the deed of hypothec granted by Mr ...
In the recent decision of Giza v. Sechelt School Bus Service Ltd., 2012 BCCA 18 (“Giza”), the Court of Appeal for British Columbia (the “Court of Appeal”) held that an employee who quit his job after being given working notice of termination of employment was nevertheless entitled to sue for damages for wrongful dismissal for the period of reasonable notice in excess of the notice given.Mr ...
In just a few years, the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984 (the “CFAA,” 18 U.S.C. § 1030) - a sweeping statute that criminalizes the unauthorized access of protected computers - has evolved into a broad and powerful weapon in computer-related criminal and civil litigation. Originally enacted to target hackers, the statute now reaches almost any imaginable malfeasance that involves a computer. Two recurring categories of cases arise in an employment context ...
The National Labor Relations Board has had a busy few weeks. First, over the dissent of its sole Republican Member, Brian Hayes, it issued a final rule implementing new procedures for union elections. Second, it issued a decision in D.R. Horton, 357 NLRB No. 184 (January 3, 2012), a much-anticipated case involving class action waivers in collective bargaining agreements. Third, on the heels of the D.R ...
Bank Indonesia (BI) issued a new Bank Indonesia Regulation No. 13/2011 on 30 September 2011 on Receipt of Export Earnings in Foreign Exchange and Withdrawal of Offshore Loans in Foreign Exchange. The new regulation will be effective as of 2 January 2012 ...
The Law on the Financial Services Authority (Otoritas Jasa Keuangan – “OJK”) was passed by the House of Representatives on 27 October 2011 and has been ratified by the President. The Law establishes the OJK as a new independent financial institution, which will take over several regulatory and supervisory authorities presently held by Bank Indonesia and the Capital Market and Financial Institution Supervisory Body (Bapepam-LK) ...
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DISCIPLINARY MEASURES RELATING TO THE USE OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT: COCA-COLA IS FORCED TO REINSTATE AN EMPLOYEE THE COMMISSION DES RELATIONS DU TRAVAIL (THE “COMMISSION”) RECENTLY RULED ON THE WAY IN WHICH AN EMPLOYER PROCEEDED TO IMPOSE A DISCIPLINARY MEASURE ON AN EMPLOYEE DUE TO HIS USE OF COMPUTER EQUIPMENT BELONGING TO THE EMPLOYER ...
On December 23, 2011, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that it would postpone its requirement that employers post a notice informing employees of their federal labor law rights until April 30, 2012. As discussed in our NLRB Roundup Part 2, this rule requires physical posting of an 11x17 notice, as well as publication on the employer’s intranet or internet site if the employer customarily uses these sites to communicate with employees ...
In its judgement in the case of Banque Nationale Du Canada v. Agence Du Revenu Du Quebec, 2011 QCCA 1943, issues on October 21, 2011, the Court of Appeal of Quabec discussed two grounds of dispute that might be of interest to the hypothecary creditors of tax debtors when the tax authorities rely on provincial statutory provisions pertaining to deemed trusts, NAMELY: 1. THE LIMITS OF THE SCOPE OF THE DEEMED TRUST; AND 2. THE ESTOPPEL ...
In its judgment in the case of Banque Nationale Du Canada v. Agence Du Revenu Du Quebec, 2011 QCCA 1943, issues on October 21, 2011, the Court of Apperal of Quebec discussed two grounds of dispute that might be of interest to the hypothecary creditors of tax debtors when the tax authorities rely on provincial statutory provisions pertaining to deemed trusts, namely: 1. The limits of the scope of the deemed trust; and 2. The Estoppel ...
Subsidiary guaranties, also commonly known as upstream guaranties, are instruments used for the benefit of lenders and borrowers alike. Upstream guaranties benefit borrowers and lenders because they enable borrowers to obtain more favorable terms and enable lenders to lend based upon a larger asset pool to secure debt ...
Unfortunately, as we all know, foreclosures are necessary. But foreclosures, by their nature, involve a certain degree of unpleasantness and challenges. A particularly thorny set of challenges arises when the foreclosure involves income producing property, especially residential rental property. The Problem. Imagine this all too familiar real world scenario: as security for a loan, the borrower grants the bank a deed of trust lien against the borrower’s apartment building ...
The Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC, formerly known as the Investment Dealers Association of Canada (IDA)) is a self-regulatory organization recognized by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), which mainly deals with disciplinary complaints against its members. For this purpose, the IIROC has supervisory and investigative powers as well as the power to impose disciplinary sanctions. It can impose various penalties on its members, including fines ...
Last quarter, we focused on the available defenses to West Virginia Consumer Credit and Protection Act, W. Va. Code § 46A-1-101 et seq. (“WVCCPA”) claims. This article, we will focus on the potential damages that a consumer can recover - actual damages, statutory penalties, and attorney’s fees. First, a consumer would be entitled to actual damages – physical and/or emotional – that a creditor’s or debt collector’s alleged violations of the WVCCPA may have caused the consumer ...
Defined Benefit Pension Plans: i) The Temporary Funding Relief Measures Will Likely Be Extended! ii) A New Statutory Framework for Federal Not-For-Profit Organizations iii) Conversion of Debt Into Shares By a Corporation in Financial Difficulty; Pay Attention to the Tax Consequences! iv) Conflicting Rights of Hypothecary Creditors and Tenants DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION PLANS: THE TEMPORARY FUNDING RELIEF MEASURES WILL LIKELY BE EXTENDED! François Parent fparent@lavery ...
A creation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Pub. Law 111-203 ("Dodd-Frank Act"), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ("CFPB") is charged with regulating consumer lending activities of financial institutions and, in partnership with state attorneys general, enforcing numerous federal consumer protection laws ...
