I was quoted in an article on Law360 Employment Authority examining state attorneys general lawsuits against rideshare companies Uber and Lyft regarding worker classifications. The story follows the one-year anniversary of a $328 million settlement reached with both companies in New York.
Continue Reading Insight for Law360 on Rideshare Wage ActionsWebinar | Recent Legal Developments and Post-Election Insights for Employers
Join us for a webinar where we will address important employment law developments, discuss current challenges for employers, and provide insight into potential changes impacting employers following the upcoming election.
Continue Reading Webinar | Recent Legal Developments and Post-Election Insights for EmployersFalse Claims Act Application in Nevada Worker Classification Fight Against Lyft
I provided insight for a Bloomberg Law article on the False Claims Act allegations brought against Lyft in a worker classification suit. A recent Nevada lawsuit claims Lyft misclassified drivers as independent contractors and defrauded the government. The lawsuit claims Lyft’s actions violate Nevada’s False Claims Act, similar to the federal law in which it must be proven that individuals or companies “knowingly” intended to avoid paying the government.
2024 ERISA Welfare Plan Automatic Participant Disclosures Checklist
We recognize that many companies sponsor ERISA welfare benefit plans and will soon be undergoing their open enrollment process and issuing related participant communications. To assist with that process, we have prepared an Automatic Participant Disclosures Checklist for use during open enrollment and throughout the plan year. Note that some of these disclosures may be delivered electronically under certain circumstances.
If you have questions regarding the information in this checklist or would like additional information regarding the electronic delivery of notices, please contact any of the attorneys in our Employee Benefits Practice Group.
Compliance Deadlines for New Section 1557 Nondiscrimination Rules Approaching, Includes Application to Medicare Part B Recipients
In April 2024, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) finalized revised regulations implementing Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The new, final Section 1557 regulations (2024 Rule) have staggered effective dates—beginning as early as November 2, 2024—and the 2024 Rule now applies to recipients of Medicare Part B payments. In this article, we discuss some notable changes in the 2024 Rule and provide a chart summarizing key requirements and compliance deadlines.
Register Now | MT|SHRM 2024 Employment Law Conference | October 16-17
I am looking forward to presenting at the 2024 Employment Law Conference, hosted by the Middle Tennessee Society for Human Resource Management (MTSHRM). My session, titled “Worker Classification: Why it Matters,” will take place on October 16, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. CT. During the presentation, I will discuss various topics related to worker classification, its impact on the workforce, and recent Department of Labor rulings.
Continue Reading Register Now | MT|SHRM 2024 Employment Law Conference | October 16-17Hot Issues for Second Half of 2024
In an article for HR.com’s Employee Benefits & Wellness Excellence issue, we highlighted key issues to watch in benefits law for the remainder of 2024. Among the top three of these considerations for the rest of the year, we listed retirement plan regulations from SECURE 2.0, litigation surrounding pharmacy benefit managers (PBM), and welfare plan compensation disclosures and associated litigation.
Continue Reading Hot Issues for Second Half of 2024Register Now | A Step-by-Step Approach to Navigating EEOC Charges Webinar
Responding to a charge from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) can often be a complex and opaque process, fraught with red tape. To alleviate this burden, we have developed a comprehensive roadmap to assist employers, in-house counsel and human resources professionals in managing EEOC charges from start to finish, while avoiding common pitfalls and mitigating potential risk exposure.
Continue Reading Register Now | A Step-by-Step Approach to Navigating EEOC Charges WebinarChevron No More: The Impact on Benefit Plans
On June 28, 2024, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce (Loper Bright), overturning Chevron U.S.A. Inc v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. (Chevron). In this landmark case, Loper Bright overruled the forty-year doctrine known as “Chevron deference,” whereby courts defer to an administrative agency’s reasonable interpretation of ambiguous federal laws, even if the court disagrees with the agency’s interpretation. Instead, Loper Bright held that courts must exercise independent judgment in deciding whether an administrative agency has acted within its statutory authority, and may not automatically defer to an agency’s legal interpretation when a statute is ambiguous.
Continue Reading Chevron No More: The Impact on Benefit PlansFederal Court Blocks FTC Non-Compete Rule Nationwide
Today, the federal district court for the Northern District of Texas, in Ryan LLC v. Federal Trade Commission [FTC] (opinion found here), “set aside” with nationwide effect, the FTC “Non-Compete Rule.” The federal district court held that the FTC exceeded its statutory authority in promulgating the Non-Compete Rule, concluding “the text and the structure of the FTC Act reveal the FTC lacks substantive rulemaking authority with respect to unfair methods of compensation….”
Continue Reading Federal Court Blocks FTC Non-Compete Rule Nationwide