On September 29, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law AB 98: Planning and zoning: logistics use; truck routes. AB 98 (Juan Carrillo and Reyes) responds to the recent expansion of warehouse uses throughout California by imposing state-wide building design and location regulations on new or expanded “logistics use” developments, including standards for parking, truck loading bays, landscaping buffers, entry gates, and signage, and requiring local agencies to update the circulation elements of their general plans.
 

On September 23, 2024, in a speech to the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri emphasized that a corporation’s compliance program must consider risks associated with the use of artificial intelligence (AI), both in commercial operations and the compliance program itself.

Chicago Partner Mary A. Smigielski has been appointed chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s (CBA) Labor & Employment Law Committee for the 2024-2025 term. In this role, Ms. Smigielski will work with members of the committee to offer educational, networking, and other opportunities designed to foster an awareness and understanding of important labor and employment issues across various industries.

Chicago Partner Charles Cole presented an analysis of defending damage claims in medical malpractice cases at the TeamHealth Annual Seminar of Invited Attorneys, hosted on September 13 at the Marriott Hilton Head Resort in South Carolina.

On September 4, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued an Alert warning foreign jurisdictions and financial institutions of “Russia’s attempts to evade sanctions by opening new overseas branches and subsidiaries of Russian financial institutions.” OFAC has found that Russia continues to use third countries to evade sanctions that limit procurement to supply its military-industrial base. The Alert is a warning to both U.S. and foreign financial institutions to increase their vigilance over these Russian tactics.

On September 4, 2024, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Retail Worker Safety Act. The Act amends the New York Labor Law to require businesses with at least 10 employees working at a retail store to implement workplace violence prevention requirements for their retail employees.

The law becomes effective on March 3, 2025, at which time covered employers must adopt and provide to all employees a written workplace violence prevention policy, and additionally they must conduct workplace violence prevention training upon hire and annually thereafter. The Act defines a retail employee as “an employee working at a retail store…that sells consumer commodities at retail and which is not primarily engaged in the sale of food for consumption on the premises.” Based on this definition, restaurants are exempt.

Boston Partner Patricia Gary and Managing Partner Kenneth B. Walton recently secured an appellate victory for a transportation company client in a worker's personal injury lawsuit over an auto accident. In a full court opinion, the Massachusetts Appeals Court affirmed that the worker's negligence claim was foreclosed by the exclusivity provisions of the commonwealth's worker's compensation statute.

On August 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) announced new, stringent measures aimed at tightening controls over the export, reexport, and transfer of U.S.-origin and U.S.-branded items to Russia and Belarus. This action is part of continuing efforts to constrain Russia’s military capabilities amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Below is a summary of the key changes and guidance issued by BIS.

Atlanta Partner and Co-Leader of Lewis Brisbois’ Intellectual Property & Technology and Entertainment, Media & Sports Practices Jonathan D. Goins has been named to Lawdragon’s 2025 ‘500 Leading Litigators in America’ list.

Northwest Indiana Managing Partner Renee J. Mortimer will present on preparing corporate witnesses in construction accident and commercial premises liability cases at the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum (ICLEF) Construction Law seminar, hosted in Indiana on September 24.

Los Angeles Partner Dana Fox and San Francisco Partner Anna Gourgiotopoulou secured a defense verdict for a transportation technology company after just 45 minutes of jury deliberations in a high-exposure motor vehicle accident case in San Francisco.  

New York Partner and Co-Chair of Lewis Brisbois' Entertainment, Media & Sports Practice Steven C. Beer will join a panel on film sales and distribution at the American Film Convention (AFC) on October 16 at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Phoenix Partner Gregg E. Clifton recently authored a blog post that was republished in the September 2024 issue of Legal Issues in Collegiate Athletics (LICA). The article titled, “Will the NCAA Settlement Lead to Finalization of Agreements, or Are More Disputes and Legal Actions on the Horizon,” discusses the proposed settlement of three outstanding class action antitrust lawsuits filed against the NCAA.

The New Jersey Supreme Court recently held in a consolidated appeal that incident reports regarding injuries at healthcare facilities were not protected by Patient Safety Act self-critical analysis privilege when the facilities did not comply with PSA procedures

Dallas Partner Clint Corrie will join the faculty for an upcoming Practising Law Institute (PLI) Securities Arbitration program, hosted in New York City and broadcasted live on September 12, 2024.