Questions concerning how to pay employees in tipped occupations have plagued employers for years. Tipped employees that perform duties that are not sufficiently related to their tipped occupation must be paid at least the full minimum wage, not the lower tip credit wage, when performing those duties. The DOL's approach as to what is/not related to the tipped employee's occupation has changed administration-by-administration ...
The recent Warren v DSG decision may significantly limit the recent wave of data breach litigation by claimant firms. The High Court summarily dismissed claims for breach of confidence, misuse of private information and negligence. Introduction Last week, the High Court handed down judgment in Darren Lee Warren v DSG Retail Limited [2021] EWHC 2168 (QB), a decision that may significantly limit the recent wave of data breach litigation by claimant firms ...
To avoid a complicated and lengthy disciplinary proceeding, employers might consider a mutual separation agreement, to terminate an employee’s employment and pay them a sum of money. In the case of Balsdon v Valley Macadamias Group (Pty) Ltd, the Labour Court had to decide whether it could make a mutual separation agreement a court order in terms of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (“LRA”) ...
The recent decision in the Technology and Construction Court (“TCC”) in Toppan Holdings Limited and Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Limited v Simply Construct (UK) LLP arguably does no more than follow precedent. But the outcome is significant for anyone taking a collateral warranty. The lesson is: get a warranty signed promptly, if you do not want to lose the right to adjudicate ...
It is not uncommon to have a multi-tiered dispute resolution clause in construction and commercial contracts, setting out the agreed mechanism in the event that a dispute arises between the parties. For example, parties may be required under such clause to first attempt settlement by negotiating in good faith, before going on to mediation if the negotiation fails, and finally proceeding to arbitration if mediation also fails ...
“Historical facts”1 are not protected by copyright. Referring to the Storming of the Bastille or the Battle of the Plains of Abraham will not get an author sued in Federal Court, but must these events have really happened to be considered “historical facts”? The Federal Court recently ruled on this issue in Winkler v. Hendley ...
Qualcomm Inc. v. Intel Corp., Appeal Nos. 2020-1589, et al. (Fed. Cir. July 27, 2021) In the only precedential patent decision issued by the Federal Circuit this week, the Court addressed again the due process and statutory right of parties in IPR proceedings to have notice and an opportunity to be heard on theories that the PTAB may rely on in rendering its decisions ...
The Regulation of Courier and Logistic Companies in Nigeria. By Florence Bola-Balogun, Kelechi Mba & Oluwapelumi C. Omoniyi. Introduction The Minister of Communications and the Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami (the “Minister”) in accordance with Section 62 of the Nigerian Postal Services Act, 2004 (“NIPOST Act”) approved the new guidelines for the regulation of the Courier and Logistics sector (“the Sector”) in Nigeria in July 2020[1] ...
Parties in financial remedy proceedings on divorce need to be alive to the implications that their behaviour may have on their final settlement by way of costs orders. Both parties in the recent case of E v L (No 2 Costs) [2021] EWFC 63 were penalised in costs; the husband for failing to negotiate reasonably and pursuing ‘conduct’ against the wife, and the wife for her litigation misconduct ...
The purpose of this article is to report on a recent proof before answer hearing that was conducted fully remotely, and to set out some tentative thoughts on the future of remote hearings based on that experience. This is not intended to suggest that what was done should be followed in all hearings ...
Chemours Company FC, LLC v. Daikin Industries, Ltd., Appeal Nos. 2020-1289, -1290 (Fed. Cir. July 22, 2021) In this week’s Case of the Week, the Federal Circuit reversed a PTAB decision in consolidated IPRs that two patents were unpatentable as obvious. The Court held that the Board erred in reaching its conclusions both in terms of what the prior art taught and in application of objective indicia of nonobviousness ...
Key Points In Martin v. California Coastal Commission, the Court of Appeal issued a rare opinion discussing local policies that are designed to manage and mitigate coastal bluff erosion. The court upheld a permit condition that required a new home to be set back 79 feet from the edge of a coastal bluff. The court reaffirmed that the policy at issue requires new development to be reasonably safe from failure and erosion over the entirety of the development’s lifetime ...
The death of a loved one is a difficult time and situations in which a Will is contested can be an additional burden. Challenging or contesting a Will in Scotland is slightly different from the rest of the UK and this guide is designed to set out the main grounds of challenge to a Will on both sides of the border. Disputes can arise because of a poorly drafted Will, where there is a disappointed beneficiary or where a loved one appears to have been “disinherited” ...
The holder of intellectual property (IP) rights is entitled to a variety of remedies for infringement of those rights. These include, an order for delivery (or destruction) of the offending goods, interdict (injunction) to restrain any further infringement, and damages or an account of profits. This article focuses on the level of financial compensation available to holders of IP rights once they have established their rights have been infringed ...
The question sometimes arises in a divorce as to whether one or both parties have mental capacity to litigate. If a party lacks that mental capacity, they will need someone to make decisions for them during the divorce process. This person is called a ‘litigation friend’ ...
Key Points In Save Lafayette Trees v. East Bay Regional Park District, two of the parties to the lawsuit entered into an agreement in an attempt to extend the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA;” Pub. Resources Code, § 21000 et seq.) deadline to file a lawsuit ...
A group of 50 striking employees confront their manager in his office. An altercation ensues, which culminates in the manager being violently assaulted. Only five of the striking employees are caught “red-handed”, having been identified as the perpetrators of the violent assault. The rest are only identified as having been there when the assault took place ...
Class Action 30633-05-18 Smuelitz v. Korean Air Co., Ltd Our firm successfully represented Korean Air in a motion to certify a class action suit alleging a failure to refund airport taxes on unused flight tickets. As part of its motion, the plaintiffs requested that Korean Air automatically reimburse airport taxes for unused flight tickets, and pay substantial monetary compensation, for failure to reimburse ...
The European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (“EIOPA”) is entrusted with 1 issuing guidelines and recommendations to Member States’ supervisory authorities on how insurance and reinsurance undertakings should apply the Solvency II Directive 2 in order to (i) establish consistent, efficient and effective supervisory practices and (ii) ensure the common, uniform and consistent application of Union law ...
In Secretariat Consulting Pte Ltd v A Company [2021] EWCA Civ 6, England’s Court of Appeal held that, depending on the terms of the retainer, the relationship between a provider of litigation support services/expert and his or her client, may have one of the characteristics of a fiduciary relationship, namely a duty of loyalty or, to put it another way, a duty to avoid conflicts of interest ...
The HKIAC recently published its “Average Costs and Duration Report”, which reveals some interesting statistics about the average cost and duration of arbitrations administered by the HKIAC under the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules (Rules). The statistics are derived from cases in which a final award was issued between 1 November 2013 and 31 May 2021 (Relevant Period) ...
In Septo Trading Inc v Tintrade Ltd [2021] EWCA Civ 718, the issue before England’s Court of Appeal was whether a quality certificate issued by an independent inspector at the load port was intended to be conclusive evidence of the quality of a consignment of fuel oil supplied under an international sale contract ...
In Secretariat Consulting Pte Ltd v A Company [2021] EWCA Civ 6, England’s Court of Appeal held that, depending on the terms of the retainer, the relationship between a provider of litigation support services/expert and his or her client, may have one of the characteristics of a fiduciary relationship, namely a duty of loyalty or, to put it another way, a duty to avoid conflicts of interest ...
