Coronavirus (COVID-19)

March 30, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

California Restaurants File Declaratory Relief Action Seeking Coverage for COVID-19-Related Losses

On Wednesday, French Laundry and Bouchon Bistro, two high-end Michelin star Napa Valley restaurants, filed the first California coverage suit for COVID-19-related losses including lost business income. Plaintiffs, represented by the same firm that filed the first COVID-19 coverage lawsuit in New Orleans two weeks ago, allege that the Napa County stay-at-home order related to COVID-19 caused them to lose business and furlough over 300 employees.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris attorneys Dominica C. Anderson, Philip R. Matthews, and Gina M. Foran, please visit the Duane Morris Insurance Law Blog.

March 30, 2020 by Duane Morris

Mexican Labor Laws and COVID-19

The crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually every sector of the international economy including transnational companies with a large presence in Mexico.

Companies with employees in Mexico are subject to the Mexican Federal Labor Law (FLL), which provides in certain situations for the temporary suspension of employment relationships. This entails the possibility for the employee to refrain from providing their services, and consequently, the possibility of the employer to refrain from paying the respective salary.

To read the full text of this Alert, which contains a summary of important provisions of Mexican labor law that should be considered in light of the current situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit the firm website.

March 30, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

New York State Halts Nonessential Construction

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, many states are implementing increasingly strict measures to prevent further spread of the virus. These measures include travel restrictions, extended school closures and requirements that individuals stay at home except as necessary to provide certain essential business and government services. Until recently, New York state considered construction to be an essential business, as outlined in Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.6.

In the wake of pressure from various labor organizations and community groups, however, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order 202.13, dated March 29, 2020.

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

March 30, 2020August 31, 2020 by Duane Morris

The Unprecedented Employer Subsidies This Week To Avoid Layoffs

(This is the third in a series on the impacts of the coronavirus on employment and the workplace. Read the first and second part.)

The federal stimulus, approved last Friday, includes unprecedented financial incentives for employers to retain employees or bring back employees laid off after March 1, 2020. Whether they succeed or not remains to be seen. However, these incentives go well beyond the layoff aversion strategies of previous Stimulus efforts dating back to World War II.

To read the full text of this article by Duane Morris attorney Michael Bernick, with comments from Nanette Heide and Meagan Garland, please visit the firm website.

March 30, 2020August 31, 2020 by Duane Morris

CARES Act Offers Employers Aid with Some Strings Attached

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) is now law, having been enacted the same day Congress passed the bill. The Act is unprecedented in many ways, including the protections it affords various nonemployee segments of the workforce, such as gig-economy workers, sole proprietors, independent contractors and the self-employed, who have never had many of the protections afforded employees. Equally significant is the relief immediately available to employers to incentivize employee retention, but they must act quickly and decisively. For larger employers, the employee-retention incentives are welcomed relief, but they should be aware of the onerous obligations and stringent restrictions attached.

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

March 30, 2020September 18, 2020 by Duane Morris

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Orders Marylanders to Stay at Home Except for “Essential Activities” as of 8:00 p.m. on March 30, 2020 – All Prior Executive Orders Remain in Place

By Robert B. Hopkins

On Monday morning, Governor Hogan signed an Amended and Restated Executive Order to take effect at 8:00 p.m. on March 30, 2020 that requires Marylanders to stay at home except that (i) Marylanders may conduct or participate in “Essential Activities,” and (ii) staff and owners of essential businesses and organizations (as defined by a prior interpretive guidance of the governor’s office of legal counsel) may travel between their homes and such essential businesses and organizations and may travel to and from customers to deliver goods or perform services of such essential businesses and organizations. The stay-at-home order does not apply to persons whose residences have become unsafe, such as victims of domestic violence, or to persons experiencing homelessness, but governmental and other entities are strongly encouraged to make shelter available for such persons to the maximum extent practicable. Continue reading “Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Orders Marylanders to Stay at Home Except for “Essential Activities” as of 8:00 p.m. on March 30, 2020 – All Prior Executive Orders Remain in Place”

March 30, 2020August 31, 2020 by Duane Morris

CARES ACT Creates New Opportunities for Companies That Can Supply PPE and Other Essential Medical Products

On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) into law. The CARES Act will provide federal agencies with nearly $100 billion to address the supply chain breakdowns in medical products needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid influx of funding creates new opportunities for companies that can manufacture or supply essential personal protective equipment (PPE) and other key medical products.

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

March 30, 2020September 1, 2020 by Duane Morris

New Jersey’s Response: Business Assistance and COVID-19

In response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, federal, state and local governments are ushering in an array of programs and tax relief measures to help mitigate the adverse economic impact of COVID-19 on business and nonprofit entities.

To read the full text of this post by Duane Morris partner Brad Molotsky, which identifies and provides an overview of available economic programs, tax relief measures, and deadline extensions for applicable Pennsylvania and Philadelphia organizations, please visit the Duane Morris Project Development/Infrastructure/P3 Blog.

March 30, 2020 by Duane Morris

Massachusetts Emergency Legislation Prohibits Certain Debt Collection Activities

By Michael R. Garcia

On Friday, March 27, 2020, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office issued emergency regulation 940 CMR 35:00: Unfair and Deceptive Debt Collection Practices During the State of Emergency Caused by COVID-19, https://www.mass.gov/doc/ma-reg/download . The stated purpose of 940 CMR 35:00 is to provide Massachusetts residents with temporary relief from the substantial economic and medical hardship caused by COVID-19 by designating certain debt collection activities as unfair and deceptive collection practices. Continue reading “Massachusetts Emergency Legislation Prohibits Certain Debt Collection Activities”

March 30, 2020September 3, 2020 by Duane Morris

Phase III of COVID-19 Stimulus Package May Affect Pharmacies Filling Medicare Prescriptions

By Jonathan L. Swichar, Bradley A. Wasser and Coleen W. Hill

Phase III of the Covid-19 stimulus package may affect pharmacies filling Medicare prescriptions in various ways. Continue reading “Phase III of COVID-19 Stimulus Package May Affect Pharmacies Filling Medicare Prescriptions”