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It is rare for the Supreme Court to decide cases involving the Constitution’s Takings Clause, and, indeed, not uncommon for the Court to go years without considering the Clause at all; so, when the Court issues two decisions involving the Takings Clause in less than a week, attention must be paid...
In a recent announcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) revealed pivotal final rule aimed at fortifying the integrity of the H-1B registration process and minimizing the potential for fraud. This comprehensive update includes beneficiary-centric selection, flexible petition start...
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has put forth a Proposed Rule in January 2023 (“Proposed Rule”), suggesting fee increases and other modifications. Under this proposal, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) increase filing costs for many immigration benefit petitioners and...
On October 31, 2023, a Missouri jury awarded the plaintiff class in Sitzer/Burnett v. Nar, et al a $1.78 billion damages verdict against several real estate brokerage companies and the National Association of Realtors, based on a finding that the defendants conspired to fix commission being paid by...
On November 7, 2023, the City Council of Chicago approved a referendum that will put Chicago’s ‘mansion tax’ on the 2024 primary ballot on March 19, 2024. If passed, the measure would change the amount of real estate transfer taxes the City of Chicago imposes on commercial and residential properties...
The much-anticipated Stakeholders’ call took place on April 25th. As expected, there was not a lot of detailed direction provided although it was acknowledged that to the extent questions were not answered USCIS would try to otherwise address the questions at a later point in time. The following...
The EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (“RIA”) notes that “[a]n alien seeking to pool his or her investment with 1 or more additional aliens seeking classification under section 203(b)(5) shall file for such classification in accordance with section 203(b)(5)(E), or before the date of the...
This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to augmentation of the administrative record following new rationales, attempted alternative ERISA causes of action, untimely ERISA claims, plans governed by ERISA even in the absence of a written plan document, and the limited weight given to residual...
This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to the interpretation of time periods for claims under life insurance and disability plans, a situation where three separate administrators handled a disability benefits claim (but came to different decisions), the Eleventh Circuit’s parsing of...
It is not a good thing for a litigant when an esteemed United States District Judge begins a decision with a statement such as the following: As the court has repeatedly told defendants … this case has generated more meritorious motions to compel and for sanctions against defendants for failure to...
This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to interpretation of ambiguous policy terms, evaluation of claimant’s expert witness, inclusion of law firms as appropriate parties from whom plan administrators may seek equitable relief, transfer of cases from the claimant’s choice of venue, and...
This month’s Friday Five addresses cases considering: (1) whether monetary relief in the amount of lost benefits is an available remedy for breach of fiduciary duty; (2) the validity of an ex-spouse’s beneficiary designation that contradicts a subsequent divorce decree; (3) if waiver of a pre...
This month’s Friday Five covers cases relating to interpretation of regulatory deadlines, the enforceability of discretionary clauses, circuit courts going both ways on appeals from summary judgment rulings in favor of plans, and a benefits award for a former professional football player where the...