The New York State Legislature recently passed the “Justice for Injured Workers Act,” which is pending presentation to the governor for signature and would amend the state’s Workers' Compensation Law.

On June 4, 2022, the New York State Legislature passed legislation to strengthen the Empire State’s nursing home oversight program, through bills A10045A and S8617A. The bills would require the New York State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to include additional information in publicized annual reports, including types and patterns of complaints filed against long-term care facilities.

Signed into law December 23, 2021, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) is set to go into effect June 21, 2022, without the benefit of implementation guidance that importers sought before covered shipments to the U.S. began their journeys.

The staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (CorpFin) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently released a Sample Letter indicating that companies subject to federal securities disclosure requirements may have obligations related to the conflict in Ukraine, regardless of whether they are directly subject to U.S. sanctions against Russia.

The New York Senate and Assembly recently passed Bill S74A, also known as the Grieving Families Act, and it is expected that Governor Hochul will likely sign the bill into law. If passed, the law would significantly expand the damages available in wrongful death actions in a number of ways.

In Morgan v. Sundance, Inc., No. 21-328 (May 23, 2022), the United States Supreme Court granted review to resolve the split in authority between federal courts regarding whether there is an arbitration-specific waiver rule requiring a showing of prejudice. The Supreme Court held that federal courts may not create arbitration-specific variants of federal procedural rules, like those concerning waiver, based on the “policy favoring arbitration” under the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA).

This week, the California Supreme Court clarified in Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, Inc. whether meal and rest period violations may also result in wage statement penalties and waiting time penalties against an employer. In its ruling, the California Supreme Court held that meal and rest period premiums may trigger derivative wage statement and waiting time penalties.

Effective July 1, 2022, the Florida Supreme Court has amended Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.442—governing procedural requirements for service of proposals for settlement—to preclude service of a proposal containing “nonmonetary terms, with the exceptions of a voluntary dismissal of all claims with prejudice and any other nonmonetary terms permitted by statute.” The court’s amendment comes on the court’s own motion and after a lengthy comment period and oral argument.