The widow of a sea captain recently settled a coronavirus-related maritime lawsuit – the first of its kind filed in Louisiana – leaving unclear the extent to which a maritime employer may be held liable in connection with contraction of the virus.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is moving forward to implement an application process for tax-free COVID-19 relief grants to restaurants, bars, and food-service establishments. In the latest developments, the SBA portal will open at 9:00 a.m. ET on April 30, 2021 for applicants to register, and applications will be accepted starting Monday, May 3, at noon.

As a result of a new ordinance passed by Philadelphia City Council, employers, labor organizations, and employment agencies in Philadelphia may not require a prospective employee to submit to testing for the presence of marijuana in the person’s system as a condition of employment.

In actions announced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over the past two months, the SEC is sharpening its focus on climate-related disclosures in public company filings. The emphasis is on how public companies address disclosures of actual and material impacts that climate change has on a company’s business and whether they comply with obligations under the federal securities laws.

On April 19, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and of the State of New York Janet DiFiore released a message to the legal community announcing the New York State Unified Court System’s plans for returning to full staffing levels. In the announcement, Chief Judge DiFiore stated that, effective Monday, May 24, all judges and court staff will be required to return to work, noting, “It is time to return to our normal and full courthouse staffing levels in order to support the fuller resumption of in-person operations, including jury trials and other proceedings in our courts.”

On Saturday, April 17, the Small Business Administration (SBA) activated a new website and released a sample application form for the Restaurant Revitalization Act grant program established under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Although applications are not yet being accepted, the limited funding available for this tax-free grant program and its first-come-first-served approach mean that applicants should lose no time in completing the new form so they can submit it at the earliest possible opportunity.