The U.S. Department of Education has proposed new regulations that, if adopted, would significantly change the landscape of Title IX sexual misconduct investigations. Title IX, enacted in 1972, bars sex discrimination in schools and colleges (“recipients”) that receive federal funding. The proposed regulations add new due-process protections to respondents in Title IX investigations.

California’s approach to classifying independent contractors from employees has undergone significant developments over the past year. The Court’s most recent opinion on this line of issues is Duffey v. Tender Heart Home Care Agency, LLC. In Duffey, the California Court of Appeal addressed classification of workers under the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights (DWBR), which sets forth overtime pay obligations to for domestic caregivers. The Duffey Court held that the DWBR provides its own unique test for classifying domestic workers as employees or independent contractors, distinct from the ABC or Borello tests.

In Peach v. McGovern, 2019 IL 123156, the Illinois Supreme Court definitively established that post-accident photos will be allowed into evidence without accompanying expert witness testimony.
 

On February 15, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission announced the revision of the jurisdictional thresholds for the mandatory notification of certain mergers and acquisitions prior to consummating the transaction pursuant to section 7(a) of the Clayton Act 15 U.S.C. § 18a.

On Tuesday, February 19, 2019, Illinois’ new Democratic Governor, JB Pritzker, signed a law that will raise the state’s minimum wage from $8.25/hour to $15/hour over the next six years. The $15/hour minimum wage was one of the issues championed by Pritzker during his campaign.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held in Gilberg v. Cal. Check Cashing Stores, LLC that employers are required to use two separate, standalone forms when conducting background checks on applicants, rather than combining both disclosures into a single document.