Legal Updates Archive

I am bringing employees back to the workplace. What safety measures should I have in place?

The USPTO has extended the time to file certain patent-related documents and pay certain fees. Additionally, trademark-related deadlines extended under the CARES Act will expire on May 31, 2020.

Mexico’s reopening starts June 1 and the Mexican government has published the initial map of the “traffic light” system.

How will employment decisions affect my company’s PPP loan forgiveness?

How is COVID-19 affecting disputes over non-competes and other restrictive covenants?

What should companies do to mitigate the security risks of a remote workforce?

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact businesses within the healthcare industry, the Minnesota Department of Revenue on May 14, 2020, again offered relief to businesses with upcoming MinnesotaCare tax payment obligations.

On May 15, 2020, the SBA and Treasury Department released the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Application for borrowers to complete in order to receive PPP loan forgiveness.

What COVID-19 precautions should your business document?

Since states are permitting workplaces to reopen, must employers begin physically inspecting all I-9 documents?

If an employer is conducting daily employee health screenings, how long must it keep the screening records?

How do the new Minnesota executive orders impact my business as we look to return to work?

On May 14, 2020, Mexico’s Ministry of Health published an accord to establish a strategy to reopen the country. This accord was modified on May 15, 2020. The reopening will occur in three phases.

What steps can we take proactively to prepare to return employees to the workplace?

During the summer months, when school is not actually “closed,” is an eligible employee entitled to paid leave under the FFCRA if the employee needs to care for his/her child(ren) because the child(ren)’s summer programming has been cancelled?

How will employment decisions affect my company’s PPP loan forgiveness?

In a rare twist of political cooperation, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation to allow federal income tax deduction of expenses paid with a forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unquestionably revealed several deficiencies in the U.S. healthcare system, not the least of which is the immigration-based constraints placed on international physicians.

When will the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) website portals open for the required EEO-1, EEO-3 and EEO-5 workforce surveys?

I am concerned about legal claims from employees or their family members who may allege that the employee contracted COVID-19 at the workplace and then spread it to family members. Does an employer have the right to require employees to waive such claims as a condition of returning to work?

Are RIA firms required to disclose to clients a successful PPP loan application? One can imagine circumstances requiring disclosure, but what if the circumstances were different?

Can employers complete I-9 forms with expired List B documents during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Due to the COVID-19 National Emergency, the DOL and IRS recognize that it may be difficult for plan sponsors to comply with various pre-established deadlines imposed under ERISA and the Code, and that it may be difficult for participants and beneficiaries to timely exercise their rights.

On April 30, 2020, the Federal Reserve announced that it is expanding the scope and eligibility for its Main Street Lending Program, a lending program designed to ensure credit flows to small and mid-sized businesses during the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has again extended the time to file certain patent and trademark-related documents and to pay certain fees.

What are some best practices for conducting employee screening in response to COVID-19?

How does Minnesota’s Second Return to Work Order for Non-Critical Sectors (Executive Order 20-48) issued on April 30, 2020, affect my business?

Please explain the intersection of FFCRA and the FLSA, which sets the federal wage and hour rules for employers. Specifically, does reducing an eligible exempt employee's salary to two-thirds their daily rate of pay, capped at $200, as allowed under FFCRA, put the employee’s exempt status at risk under the FLSA?

Under U.S. law, a brand cannot advertise that its products prevent, treat or cure human disease unless the brand possesses competent and reliable scientific evidence substantiating that the claim is true.

What kind of litigation will arise out of COVID-19, and what can employers do now to prepare?

President Trump recently signed into law a bill providing additional funding for the SBA’s 7(a) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) after the initial PPP funding of $350 billion under the CARES Act was exhausted on April 16.

How does Minnesota’s Return to Work Order for Non-Critical Sectors (Executive Order 20-40) issued on April 23, 2020, affect my business?

Can employers provide tax-free financial assistance to their employees during the COVID-19 outbreak?

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing employers to make changes to the terms and working conditions of their workforce. This Q&A assists employers in navigating changes in business practices during this challenging time.

As social distancing methods and shelter-in-place orders during the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted many across the country to work from home, businesses have begun to wonder about the nexus ramifications of their newly-expanded telecommuting arrangements.

Mexico’s Ministry of Health extended the suspension of all non-essential activities through May 30, 2020.

What are best practices when you are ready to recall furloughed employees?

Can a furloughed employee refuse to come back to work when recalled?

President Trump has tweeted his intention to issue an executive order banning immigration into the U.S. The key words here are “into the U.S.”

How can your company’s actions impact your nonimmigrant employees?

Many taxpayers are asking, “Has the deadline to pay Minnesota property taxes been extended in light of the COVID-19 pandemic?”