The Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) issued on April 12, 2024 a Determination for Prohibitions Related to Imports of Aluminum, Copper, and Nickel of Russian Federation Origin, and a Determination for Prohibitions on Certain Services for the Acquisition of Aluminum, Copper, or Nickel of Russian Federation Origin (the “Determinations”), which prohibits the importation, exportation, sale, and other service activities involving aluminum, copper, and nickel of Russian Federation origin.

On April 22, 2024, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 83, which makes significant changes to the language of O.C.G.A. § 9-11-67.1. The changes in the statute apply to “any offers to settle a tort claim for personal injury, bodily injury, or death arising from a motor vehicle collision made on or after the date this Act is approved by the Governor[.]”

Under the Copyright Act, a plaintiff must file a suit for infringement of copyright “within three years after the claim accrues.” 17 U.S.C.§507(b).

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently issued a final regulation and interpretative guidance to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), taking a broad view of the statutory language.

New York Partners Jennifer Oxman and Andrew Harms recently secured dismissal of a personal injury plaintiff’s complaint on summary judgment in Queens County, with a state judge accepting their argument that a porter who allegedly tripped and fell on loose wood in a stairwell had no cause of action against the property owner because it was his job to clean the stairs in the first instance. The porter was not an employee of the property owner, but rather an employee of a property management company. Therefore, the workers compensation bar did not apply to the employee’s claims.

On April 17, 2024, the U.S. government renewed sanctions on the Venezuelan oil and gas sector, following a determination by the U.S. State Department that the Maduro Government had “not fully met the commitments” of a political agreement with the Unitary Platform. This action follows earlier reimpositions of Venezuela-related sanctions that had been temporarily lifted in October, subject to the success of  this agreement (see our previous alerts, U.S. Suspends Select Venezuela Sanctions Following Political Agreement and OFAC Narrows Venezuela-Related Sanctions General License).

Universal Music Group (UMG) has reached a new licensing deal with TikTok, allowing the platform's users to once again access content from UMG's vast catalog of recordings and songs. This agreement brings an end to the public, several-month-long dispute between UMG and TikTok over artist royalties and AI issues, and marks a significant development in the relationship between the music industry and social media platforms.

New York Partners Adam Schwartzstein, James Strauss, and Jennifer Harris recently secured a dismissal of a personal injury plaintiff’s complaint on summary judgment, with a New York federal judge agreeing with their argument that the plaintiff had not suffered a “serious injury” as defined by New York Insurance Law §5102(d).