President Biden has signed 28 Executive Orders as of February 2, 2021, but there is one that stands out to employment lawyers – Executive Order 13999. Titled “Protecting Worker Health and Safety,” the Order addresses workplace safety. It sets out instructions, primarily to the Secretary of Labor and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, for establishing and issuing a set of guidelines under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

A recent decision issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit makes it harder for employer defendants to remove class actions to federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 (CAFA). In remanding a putative class action back to California state court, the Ninth Circuit held that the removing defendant failed to submit competent evidence showing that the amount in controversy exceeded the $5 million jurisdictional threshold required to invoke federal jurisdiction.

It is clear the Biden Administration plans big changes in the leadership of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau or CFPB).

As we move through the remainder of this snowy season, it is important for businesses to understand their legal obligations concerning snow removal and the defenses that are available to them in the event that an injury occurs on their premises. This alert summarizes the ongoing storm rules in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island, and analyzes property owners’ snow removal responsibilities as well as related premises liability issues under these states’ laws.

On February 1, 2021, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the annual changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act notification thresholds. The FTC is required by law to revise the jurisdictional thresholds annually, based on the change in gross national product (GNP).