Category: COVID-19

COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Houston, We Have a Policy: Texas Court Upholds Employer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Stephen Franz As a handful of employees across the country have filed lawsuits challenging workplace COVID-19 vaccination mandates, many employers have been left to grapple with whether they can implement a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy as a condition of employment.  At least according to one Texas federal district court, the answer is yes.   Judge Hughes of the United States … Continue reading Houston, We Have a Policy: Texas Court Upholds Employer’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

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COVID-19

California Reopens – What Does That Mean?

Written by Susan Kohn Ross California has officially reopened today – June 15th. Nonetheless, there are some restrictions which remain in place. On June 14th, California posted guidance for various industries, see here. When it comes to office operations, those restrictions remain unchanged as the existing Cal-OSHA recommendations are not yet updated.   At the same time, Cal-OSHA has posted a new guidance – see here … Continue reading California Reopens – What Does That Mean?

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

California Mask Requirement for Workplaces To Continue Through Summer (And More!), CAL-OSHA Says

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Thea Rogers [UPDATE]:  As we reported below, Cal-OSHA’s Standards Board recently proposed a series of controversial amendments to CAL-OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards, which included face covering and social distancing requirements that many critics considered unnecessarily onerous in light of recent California Department of Public Health and CDC guidance.  Yesterday, the Board withdrew these proposed amendments.  While it is unconfirmed … Continue reading California Mask Requirement for Workplaces To Continue Through Summer (And More!), CAL-OSHA Says

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Employers Begin to Grapple with the Risks of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Shanda Lowe As expected, the first batch of lawsuits challenging COVID-19 vaccine mandates are popping up across the country—a possibility that we noted in an earlier post on this subject. So far, at least two federal lawsuits have been filed based on the fact that the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use are only available under an Emergency Use Authorization (“EUA”) … Continue reading Employers Begin to Grapple with the Risks of Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

IT’S BACK! MOST CALIFORNIA EMPLOYERS NOW NEED TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL COVID-19 SICK LEAVE

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Thea Rogers On March 18, 2021, the California Senate voted to approve Senate Bill 95, thereby extending the previous COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave law that expired on December 31, 2020. Governor Newsom signed the law into immediate effect on March 19; it applies retroactively to January 1, 2021, the obligation to provide the leave begins on March 29 (ten … Continue reading IT’S BACK! MOST CALIFORNIA EMPLOYERS NOW NEED TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL COVID-19 SICK LEAVE

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies Could Carry Risks In Light of FDA Authorization Status

Writtten by Jeremy Mittman and Shanda Lowe A year after many businesses in the United States were forced to reduce or shut down operations because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the availability of multiple vaccines is giving hope that a return to “normal” is finally on the horizon. Although most employers have not adopted a mandatory vaccination policy (and to do so now would likely be … Continue reading Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies Could Carry Risks In Light of FDA Authorization Status

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

Coronavirus Consort – Court Rejects Wife’s COVID-19 Suit Against Husband’s Employer

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Daniel Innamorati A federal judge in the Northern District of California tossed a lawsuit by the wife of an employee who allegedly contracted COVID-19 at work and transmitted the virus to her, finding that the wife’s claims are preempted by California’s worker’s compensation law.   Mrs. Corby Kuciemba claimed she contracted COVID-19 after her husband, a Victory Woodworks Inc. employee, … Continue reading Coronavirus Consort – Court Rejects Wife’s COVID-19 Suit Against Husband’s Employer

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COVID-19, Intellectual Property

Another COVID-19 Surprise: Important New Trademark and Copyright Legislation Buried In Spending and Relief Package

Written by Marissa B. Lewis Yesterday, Congress’s omnibus spending and COVID-19 relief bill, H.R. 133, was signed into law.  Buried in the legislation are two new acts that potentially have sweeping implications for intellectual property owners.  The Trademark Modernization (“TM”) Act and the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (“CASE”) Act introduce measures that are poised to significantly impact the way that trademark and copyright owners … Continue reading Another COVID-19 Surprise: Important New Trademark and Copyright Legislation Buried In Spending and Relief Package

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COVID-19, Payroll & Employment Taxes, Tax

New COVID Relief Legislation Provides Tax Benefit

Written by Jeffrey D. Davine The new COVID relief bill extends (and modifies) certain provisions that were included in the CARES Act that was enacted in March.  This legislation, signed by the President on December 27, will provide $900 billion of additional financial assistance to individuals and businesses that have been affected by the pandemic. Among the provisions contained in the new legislation is funding for additional … Continue reading New COVID Relief Legislation Provides Tax Benefit

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COVID-19, Labor & Employment

FFCRA, We Hardly Knew Thee: Federal (and State) Paid COVID-19 Leave Laws Expire at Year’s End

Written by Jeremy Mittman and Stephen C. Franz On December 21, 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act as a follow-up to the April 2020 Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”).  While President Trump has not yet signed the approximately $900 Billion measure, the new bill contains at least one provision that will be of particular interest to employers. Significantly, the new bill … Continue reading FFCRA, We Hardly Knew Thee: Federal (and State) Paid COVID-19 Leave Laws Expire at Year’s End

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