Various states and school districts are taking different approaches with regard to how schools will reopen in the fall. What does this mean for employers? We have prepared the following FFCRA Frequently Asked Questions and Answers to help employers anticipate and navigate leave management issues that may arise related to school or place of care closures and/or the unavailability of childcare for reasons related to COVID-19. This alert has been updated to reflect recent changes from the Department of Labor.

Just two days before the 15th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana. Preliminary estimates for insured losses from storm surge, flooding, and winds range from $8 to $12 billion for residential and commercial properties. Insurers providing residential or commercial property insurance in Louisiana should keep the following statutory claims handling requirements in mind.

On August 28, 2020, the United States Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service issued guidance implementing the Presidential "Memorandum on Deferring Payroll Tax Obligations in Light of the Ongoing COVID-19 Disaster (August 8, 2020)." In this alert, we describe the availability of this tax deferral to employers, defined in the Notice as "Affected Taxpayers." We also point out responsibilities of employers who choose to defer eligible payroll taxes.

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana recently issued judgment in a BP Oil Spill-related suit that may impact claims for additional insured status arising from contractual agreements, and establishes bases for denial of defense and indemnity due to late notice/prejudice and violation of contract requirements.

Although there are many advantages associated with remote work arrangements, wage & hour compliance is not one of them. It is one of the reasons this type of work arrangement has been adopted more broadly for exempt rather than non-exempt employees. Not surprisingly, however, COVID-19 has dramatically changed how employees work.

Last Friday, August 21, 2020, the Kansas Human Rights Commission (KHRC) Board met to consider the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton Cty., 140 S. Ct. 1731, 1734 (2020) and its impact on the KHRC’s interpretation of the Kansas Act Against Discrimination (KAAD).

Lewis Brisbois’ New York trial attorneys are looking forward to resuming trials and defending their clients’ interests in the courtroom, as courts within Nassau County and across the State of New York continue to implement protocols that will allow in-person proceedings and trials to move forward.

On August 11, 2020, the Small Business Administration released a major new procedural framework for legal challenges to its rulings on loan eligibility and forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which has approved more than 5.1 million loans and dispensed more than $520 million to small businesses suffering economic losses from the COVID-19 pandemic.