On December 3, 2024, the U.S. Department of The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced a $15,550,000 settlement with Aiotec GmbH (Aiotec), a German company that is a supplier of used plants and equipment for refineries, petrochemical plans, gas plants, and similar systems.

On November 21, 2024 the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury published a new Russia-related alert (the "Alert"), "Sanctions Risk for Foreign Financial Institutions that Join Russian Financial Messaging System, System for Transfer of Financial Messages." The purpose of the Alert is to warn foreign jurisdictions and financial institutions about the sanctions risks of joining the Russian financial messaging system Sistema Peredachi Finansovykh Soobscheniy or “System for Transfer of Financial Messages” (SPFS).

2024 was a modestly impactful year in Florida employment law. The Employment Regulations Bill continued a yearslong trend of preempting municipal ordinances and regulations that exceeded similar state laws, children were afforded greater opportunities to engage in the workplace and with new job responsibilities, and a decade-long conflict between District Courts of Appeal on whistleblower standards came one step closer to Florida Supreme Court clarification.

The legal landscape around the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) has been shifting at a rapid pace. In the latest development, the Department of Justice appealed a Texas federal court's issuance of an injunction temporarily halting enforcement of the CTA and its reporting requirements. 

While there were no pertinent new labor or employment laws adopted in Oklahoma in 2024, we highlight below several court decisions of note.

When it comes to an immigration worksite raid preparation is critical. Even if you are meticulous in confirming the work authorization of all of your employees, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could investigate your workplace in connection with a lead or complaint, or based on other factors.

On February 1, 2025, President Trump issued three executive orders under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) imposing substantial tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China. The new executive orders impose—in addition to any other duties, fees, exactions, charges, or existing tariffs—(i) a 10% ad valorem rate of duty (“tariff”) on imported “products of China”; (ii) a 25% tariff on all imported “products of Mexico”; and (iii) a 10% tariff on energy or energy resources and 25% for all other imported “products of Canada.” The term “energy or energy resources” is defined, per President Trump’s January 20, 2025, “National Energy Emergency” Executive Order, as “crude oil, natural gas, lease condensates, natural gas liquids, refined petroleum products, uranium, coal, biofuels, geothermal heat, the kinetic movement of flowing water, and critical minerals, as defined by 30 U.S.C. 1606 (a)(3).” The terms “products of China,” “products of Mexico,” and “products of Canada” are to be defined in forthcoming Federal Register notices.

In January, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued several significant sanctions measures targeting Russia’s energy sector and related industries, including an expanded scope of sanctions on the Russian energy sector, broad prohibitions on “petroleum services” provided to the Russian Federation, designations of major Russian energy producers, and a swath of new General Licenses. These actions substantially increase sanction-related risks involved in the Russian oil trade and other energy-related areas.

On January 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) reached a settlement with Florida-based real estate company Family International Realty LLC (the “Company”) and its owner, a U.S. person. Rather than risk liability for its 73 apparent sanctions violations, the Company has settled with OFAC for $1,076,923.