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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...
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) is grappling with determining the most effective means of regulating the buy now pay later industry. BNPL allows a consumer to obtain a product or services immediately at the time of purchase and to make installment payments on the purchase over time...
By now, business owners and their counsel have become increasingly aware of the high volume of lawsuits filed across the country alleging that commercial websites violate Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and similar state and local laws, for failing to make their websites...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) today published in the Federal Register a proposed rule that, if finalized, would update the standards that food products must meet in order to be labeled as “healthy.” Per FDA, the proposed rule would “align the definition of ‘healthy’ with...
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...
A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois recently awarded nearly $23 million to the developer of a luxury hotel in Chicago’s trendy West Loop arising from multiple breaches of contract and fraud by its design-builder. What is particularly striking about the judgment in NHC LLC v. Centaur...
On September 9, 2022, the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (the “Commission”) issued guidance for employers on how to evaluate suspected cannabis impairment in the workplace. Although the guidance leaves some questions unanswered, it should provide some comfort to employers operating in an...
The close of California’s legislative session on August 31 without amending the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) means that CCPA will soon apply to personal information that many businesses process concerning their employees, contractors, and applicants. CCPA had been amended in November of...
During the 2022 legislative session, the Virginia General Assembly passed Senate Bill 550 (“SB 550”), which Virginia Governor Youngkin signed into law. SB 550 amends a portion of the Virginia Prompt Payment Act and a component of the Virginia wage theft statute, prohibiting “pay-if-paid” clauses in...
Property insurers faced with COVID-19 related claims for business income losses can take comfort in the recent trend of most appellate courts to find in favor of insurers that have denied coverage based on policy language requiring direct physical loss or damage. What You Need to Know: Many...
A spate of lawsuits across the country has targeted companies that use website tracking and analytics tools, claiming they are violating prohibitions against illegal wiretaps. In a recent precedential decision, the Third Circuit weighed in on this issue, suggesting that companies can indeed be...
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...
Background On August 25, 2022, after weeks of promotion by the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM), the application window has finally opened for adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses in the Empire State. These retail privileges, known as Conditional Adult-use Retail Dispensary (CAURD)...
The California Attorney General began exercising enforcement authority under the CCPA on January 1, 2020. Among the CCPA’s enumerated rights for consumers, the cornerstone of the CCPA, is the right to opt out of the collection of personal information. In Sephora’s case, the Attorney General...
On August 23, 2022, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a $300,640 settlement and a Corrective Action Plan ("CAP") with New England Dermatology P.C., d/b/a New England Dermatology and Laser Center ("NEDLC") to resolve allegations...
On August 4th, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court (the “Court”) issued its decision in Ursinus College v. Prevailing Wage Appeals Board. The Court reversed a decision by the Prevailing Wage Appeals Board (the “Board”) in which the Board found that a construction project financed with tax-exempt...
On July 27, 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced legislative proposals and initiatives that would prevent State Board of Administration (SBA) fund managers from considering environmental social and governance (ESG) factors when investing the state’s money. Instead, the proposed legislation...
On July 15, 2022, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the resolution of eleven investigations as part of its Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Right of Access Initiative (the "Initiative"). OCR created...
The CFPB is now ready to directly regulate the purveyors of digital consumer marketing. The CFPB new rule clarifies when digital marketers and financial products sellers are subject to consumer protection regulations. Digital marketers that are "materially involved" in the development of content...
On August 4, 2022, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) filed suit against Monsanto Co., Pharmacia LLC and Solutia, Inc., seeking to hold them liable for PCB contamination throughout New Jersey. ( Complaint). While the suit also addresses contamination at Monsanto’s...