Today the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in the closely watched case of Janus v. AFSCME. In a landmark ruling, the Court held that public sector employees cannot be forced to pay mandatory fees to a public sector union if they are not a member of the union.
The U.S. Supreme Court reversed a Federal Circuit decision dealing with patent damages for lost sales in foreign jurisdictions. WesternGeco LLC v. Ion Geophysical Corp., 586 U.S. ____ (June 22, 2018), Case No. 16-1011 (Thomas J). The Court concluded that U.S. patent owners can get damages from overseas sales lost through infringement.
On June 25, 2018, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first drug derived from the cannabis sativa plant, commonly known as marijuana.
Under the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), discrimination on the basis of a protected status such as race, national origin, sex, veteran or military status, sexual orientation or disability is prohibited.
Two important aspects of every tax increment financing (TIF) project in Ohio are (i) determining whether the TIF exemption or another exemption should take priority when two exemptions apply to the same property, and (ii) taking the steps necessary to implement the preferred priority.
In December, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) established a new standard for determining the lawfulness of facially neutral employee handbook policies that “may” restrict the exercise of an employee’s NLRA rights.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has demonstrated its increased focus on sexual harassment through its filing of seven lawsuits across the nation in the past week.
A newly filed collective action in Ohio federal court against an oil and gas company highlights the importance of wage-hour law compliance and the potential ramifications for failing to do so.
On May 17, 2018, South Carolina’s Pregnancy Accommodations Act became effective. The state enacted the law “to combat pregnancy discrimination, promote public health, and ensure full and equal participation for women in the labor force by requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees for medical needs arising from pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.”
California law requires that employees receive an itemized wage statement containing statutorily prescribed information. Wage statements that lack the required information or that are inaccurate subject the employer to penalties and potential liability under the state’s Private Attorney Generals Act.
On May 4, 2018, U.S. EPA released an updated draft audit program agreement that will be available to new owners of oil and natural gas exploration and production facilities.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (the office) recently issued guidance on the impact of the Supreme Court’s recent decision SAS Institute Inc. v. Iancu on post-grant patent proceedings, specifically inter partes review.
On April 23, 2018, the Department of Labor (DOL) published a second draft of a model form, the Disclosure Template, that a group health plan participant (or his or her representative) may use to request documentation of compliance with the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA).
Less than two months after announcing a $50 reduction in the 2018 limit on HSA contributions for employees with family high deductible health plan coverage, the IRS backtracked and reinstated the original limit.
