The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking input on the development of government-wide natural capital accounts and standardized environmental-economic statistics. The Administration intends for these new metrics to be used in benefit-cost analyses associated with agency actions and to measure risks in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG), and lending contexts.

On July 14, 2022, the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division, issued an opinion in Monk v. Kennedy University Hospital, Inc. that considered whether the New Jersey legislature intended to apply the minority tolling provision in N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2(a) to the state’s Wrongful Death Act.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has far-reaching implications for the insurance industry and for insurers and insureds alike. Many corporate policy holders around the world have withdrawn or scaled back operations with Russia and/or Russian-based corporations.

Healthcare companies may need to be mindful that the federal government has started investigating and prosecuting referral-based arrangements for private insurance claims under the Travel Act and the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act.

In March 2022, in response to Russia’s actions in the Ukraine conflict, the Biden Administration along with the governments of Austria, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission created the Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs (REPO) task force. The REPO task force – consisting of the justice and finance ministers in each member nation – have seized or begun forfeiture proceedings with respect to more than $30 billion worth of assets.

A federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia has dramatically changed the landscape for employers to litigate against personal injury and wrongful death claims by employees. In a recent matter, the plaintiff brought a deliberate intent action under West Virginia Code § 23-4-2 against his employers for injuries that he allegedly suffered while working as a coal miner. He contended that the injuries were caused by unsafe workplace and dangerous mining activities.

On July 22, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued two new Russia-related General Licenses (GLs) authorizing certain financial transactions that are otherwise prohibited under U.S. sanctions laws and regulations. These general licenses grant U.S. persons and financial institutions greater latitude in settling Russian foreign sovereign debt through the wind down of agreements and participation in a credit default swap auction, respectively. The new measures follow Russia’s alleged default on a sovereign bond in June 2022 (caused by payment in rubles rather than U.S. dollars) and will help U.S. investors wind down their financial commitments and settle certain credit default swaps.

On July 19, 2022, the California Court of Appeal issued an opinion in Meda v. AutoZoners, Inc. that further defined an employer’s obligation to “provide” its employees with suitable seating pursuant to the Industrial Welfare Commissions’ Wage Orders. The Court of Appeal reversed the trial court’s granting of summary judgment, holding that where an employer has not expressly advised its employees of the availability of seating, and where the employer has not provided a seat at a workstation, the question of whether an employer has provided suitable seating is fact-intensive and not subject to summary judgment.