Coronavirus (COVID-19)

April 29, 2020 by Duane Morris

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Orders State Courts to Reopen with Safety Restrictions on May 4, 2020

In an order dated April 28, 2020, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court loosened the restrictions imposed on the Pennsylvania state court and legal system due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. While the order extends the judicial emergency declared on March 16, 2020, through June 1, 2020, the order generally directs courts to reopen to conduct all court business beginning on May 4, 2020, subject to several safety constraints and considerations.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

April 29, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

New Jersey Executive Order 128: Security Deposits May Be Used for Rental Obligations

Late last week (April 24, 2020), NJ Gov. Murphy signed Executive Order No. 128 (“EO”). The EO takes effect immediately and will remain in effect until the end of the public health emergency established by Executive Order No. 103 (2020). The EO applies in the context of residential leases (not commercial leases) and allows residential tenants to use their security deposit for the payment of rent.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.

April 29, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

NJ Names COVID Taskforce

New Jersey has officially announced the 21 members of its COVID Taskforce. The group will include 16 members and 5 ex-officio members from the Murphy administration. It will be co-chaired by Merck Chair and CEO Ken Frazier and former Princeton President Shirley Tilghman.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.

April 29, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

Myanmar: Validity of Electronic Signatures

The COVID-19 pandemic impacts all aspects of our daily life. Government authorities around the world impose various measures to reduce the physical contacts among people, including travel ban and movement restriction (i.e. stay-at-home order). Nevertheless, transactions can still be performed by electronic means, including electronic communication/transmission and execution by e-signature at this point of time. To be in trend with the digital age, Myanmar also allows electronic signature documents to be exhibited as evidence in Myanmar Courts as well as recognizes the legal validity of electronic signature inserted onto commercial documents.

To read the full text, please visit the Duane Morris & Selvam COVID-19 Resource Blog.

April 28, 2020September 2, 2020 by Duane Morris

Illinois Governor Extends COVID-19 Stay-at-Home Order with Some Modifications

On April 23, 2020, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker announced that he is extending the state’s stay-at-home order with modifications. This new order will go into effect on May 1, 2020, and continue through May 30, 2020.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

April 28, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

Ohio Governor Unveils Industry-Specific Protocols for “Responsible Restart Ohio” Amid the COVID-19 Crisis

On April 27, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced statewide protocols for businesses to reopen in phases starting on May 1, 2020, the date when the current stay-at-home order for Ohio expires. In the press conference announcing the plans, Governor DeWine identified the following dates when operations that are not permitted under the current order may resume: (1) May 1 for elective medical procedures not requiring an overnight hospital stay; (2) May 4 for manufacturing, distribution and construction and office businesses; and (3) May 12 for consumer, retail and service businesses.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

April 28, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

Illinois Withdraws Emergency COVID-19 Workers’ Compensation Rule

The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission has withdrawn its April 16, 2020, emergency rule that would have established that all first responders and front-line workers asserting a workers’ compensation claim before the commission based on exposure to COVID-19 would be rebuttably presumed to have been exposed to the virus through their work.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

April 28, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

San Francisco’s COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Ordinance Takes Effect

In our April 9, 2020, Alert, we analyzed the San Francisco Public Health Emergency Leave ordinance (PHELO), approved unanimously by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on April 7, which requires private employers with 500 or more employees to provide up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave consistent with the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

On April 17, 2020, Mayor Breed signed an amended version of the PHELO. In addition, the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) published a workplace poster, detailed guidance for employers in the form of FAQs (updated April 24, 2020) and a complaint form to be used by employees to address violations of the PHELO. The PHELO became effective on April 17, 2020, and will expire on June 17, 2020, or upon the termination of the COVID-19 public health emergency, whichever occurs first.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

April 28, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

Georgia Allows Most Businesses to Reopen to the Public: What Employers Need to Know

Georgia was one of the last states to order nonessential businesses to close in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 24, 2020, the state became one of the first to allow many nonessential businesses to reopen, including gyms and salons. Starting April 27, the state is allowing most other businesses to reopen to the public.

To read the full text of this Duane Morris Alert, please visit the firm website.

April 28, 2020August 31, 2020 by Duane Morris

Efforts to Obtain Covid-19 Financial Assistance

In an April 28th letter authored by the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH) and the Policy Center for Public Health and Safety, 24 state-level cannabis trade associations from across the country called on Congress to end the Small Business Administration’s exclusion of cannabis businesses from COVID-19 federal funding relief.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner David Landau, please visit the Duane Morris Cannabis Industry Blog.