On Jan. 15, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and held that employers claiming exemptions for their employees from the Fair Labor Standards Act's requirements only need to prove the exemption by the “default” preponderance-of-the-evidence standard, rather than any heightened pleading requirement.

It has been a whirlwind of new Illinois employment laws in 2024. With several key updates taking effect on January 1, 2025, employers should take note of the following developments to stay compliant.

While 2024 was a quiet year in the Buckeye State on the labor and employment front, there were a few developments worth noting.

In Part 1 of his 20th annual listing of key Delaware commercial and corporate decisions, Wilmington Managing Partner Francis G.X. Pileggi explores several of the most significant rulings from the Delaware Supreme Court and Court of Chancery in 2024.

On January 6, 2025, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) issued General License No. 24 relating to the Syria sanctions framework. General License 24 permits considerable transactions with Syrian-based individuals and entities, but the largest shift is that it also permits transactions with governmental entities controlled by designated individuals and entities. General License 24 expires on July 7, 2025, but can be renewed or even terminated earlier. The issuance of General License 24 follows the end of the rule of the Assad Regime following a military offensive by the FTO-designated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (“HTS”), and the capture by HTS of Syria’s governing institutions and entities.

As 2025 begins, we highlight the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)’s litigation focus in fiscal year 2024. Despite the upcoming change in presidential administrations, we do not anticipate immediate changes within the EEOC. The EEOC Commission members are presidential appointees serving five-year staggered terms. There is currently one vacancy, and the first expiration of a term will be in July 2025.

During fiscal year 2024, the EEOC filed 110 employment discrimination lawsuits. These lawsuits demonstrated a trend of what the EEOC characterizes as an effort to protect vulnerable employees, address emerging issues, and challenge systemic harassment, all in accordance with the EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) released for fiscal years 2024 to 2028.

Recent legal developments have profoundly affected the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). In light of these changes, we provide this focused update on compliance expectations resulting from the latest court rulings. This alert provides a concise overview of the current status of the CTA, including recent court decisions, FinCEN’ response, and compliance considerations for businesses.