Insights

February

• 2/25/2020
  Client Alert: Irish Data Protection Commission Issues Annual Report On GDPR Enforcement
  In February, the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) issued its annual report covering the first full year of GDPR enforcement.
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• 2/21/2020
  Intellectual Property Alert: Where and How You Store Your Servers May Subject You to Patent Litigation in a Distant Jurisdiction
  With the growth of big data and cloud computing, more and more businesses are moving their computer servers offsite to large server farms or server clusters.
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• 2/21/2020
  • Jackie Ford
  When Talking Politics at the Office Can and Can’t Get You Fired
  Jackie Ford, a partner in the Houston office, authored an op-ed for the Houston Chronicle titled “When Talking Politics at the Office Can and Can’t Get You Fired.” 
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• 2/18/2020
  Client Alert: New Push for Another U.S. Privacy Law as Washington State Senate Approves the Washington Privacy Act (SB 6281)
  Washington legislators recently reintroduced the Washington Privacy Act (WPA). Learn more about this draft bill.
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• 2/18/2020
  Client Alert: Recent Changes to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) Regulations
  New regulations governing the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) took effect on February 13, 2020.
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• 2/17/2020
  "Client Alert: Bankruptcy Court Orders Denying Relief From the Automatic Stay Must Be Appealed Within 14 Days," February 17, 2020
  The United States Supreme Court recently made clear that bankruptcy litigation is different than most civil litigation when it unanimously held that a bankruptcy court’s order denying relief from the automatic stay is a final appealable order. 
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• Winter 2020
  • Jeffery E. Smith
  • Scott A. Herkamp
  Implications of Warren Bank M&A Proposal
  In December of 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jesús García announced the introduction of the Bank Merger Review Modernization Act (the act), which would “…restrict harmful consolidation in the banking industry and protect consumers and the financial system from ‘Too Big To Fail’ institutions.”
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• Winter 2020
  • Jeffery E. Smith
  • Scott A. Herkamp
  Bank/Credit Union Combinations Redux
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• Winter 2020
  • David A. Froling
  Ohio Enacts New Limitation on Tax Base for Financial Institutions Tax
  On July 26, 2019, Am. H.B. 166 was enacted into law. That law enacted changes to Ohio Revised Code 5726.04.
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• Winter 2020
  • Rodney A. Holaday
  • Christopher A. LaRocco
  • George L. Stevens
  Businesses Now Being Sued in Latest Class Action Wave for ADA Claimed Violations for Gift Card and Expanded Web/App Accessibility
  Beginning in October 2019, more than a dozen individuals through at least four law firms have filed hundreds of new lawsuits against businesses alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990’s Title III (starting at 42 USC §12101), as well as local New York state (N.Y. Exec. Law Article 15) and New York City Human Rights Laws (starting at N.Y.C. Admin. Code §8-101).
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• Winter 2020
  • Rodney A. Holaday
  • Christopher A. LaRocco
  Ohio Criminal Supreme Court Decision Permits Banks to Recover Restitution for Forged Checks
  By 6-1 vote, the Ohio Supreme Court recently ruled that under Ohio criminal law, a bank that cashes a forged check and then recredits a depositor’s account is a “victim” such that the person who forged the check may be required to pay restitution to the bank.
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• 2/11/2020
  Labor and Employment Alert: Indiana Supreme Court Reiterates Blue Pencil Test for Noncompete Agreements
  Indiana courts enforce restrictive covenants in employment agreements only if they are reasonable.
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• 2/10/2020
  Client Alert: California Attorney General Releases Modified CCPA Draft Regulations
  On February 7, 2020, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra released proposed modifications (the Modifications) to the previously-released draft regulations implementing the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
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• 2/6/2020
  Labor and Employment Alert: Philadelphia Salary Inquiry Ban Upheld by Third Circuit
  In 2017, Philadelphia became the first city to prohibit private employers from inquiring about a job applicant’s wage history and from relying on an applicant’s wage history in setting his or her salary.
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• 2/4/2020
  Immigration Alert: New Version of Form I-9 Available – Use of New Version Becomes Mandatory Starting May 1, 2020
  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a new version of Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
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• 2/3/2020
  Labor and Employment Alert: New Jersey Requires Paid Severance in Mass Layoffs
  The federal Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification Act (WARN Act) requires employers to provide employees with advance notice of certain plant closings and mass layoffs.
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January

• 1/31/2020
  Labor and Employment Alert: Maryland Bans the Box
  Over Governor Larry Hogan’s veto, the Maryland General Assembly recently enacted legislation to prohibit employers from initially seeking job applicants’ criminal records. 
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• 1/30/2020
  Federal Tax Bulletin: Final Qualified Opportunity Zone Regulations Adopt Many Changes
  On December 19, 2019, two years after the federal Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program was enacted, the Treasury Department released final regulations providing guidance on how to apply the rules under this program.
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• 1/27/2020
  Intellectual Property Alert: 2020 Intellectual Property Primer: Cases to Watch this Year
  2020 is likely to be a busy and influential year for intellectual property cases before the United States Supreme Court.
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• 1/27/2020
  • Victor J. Ferguson
  • John F. Furniss III
  • David A. Groenke
  • Emily S. Pan
  • Michael G. Schwartz
  • David A. Swift
  • Mark E. Vannatta
  • Suzanne R. Galyardt
  • Karen M. Moore
  • Bailey R. Drexler
  • Zachary J. Stackhouse
  The SECURE Act: What Plan Participants and Beneficiaries Must Know
  In late December, 2019, the “Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act,” or the “SECURE Act,” was enacted.
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