On December 11, 2023, the United States Department of Commerce, Department of the Treasury, Department of Justice, Department of State, and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint “Quint-Seal Compliance Note” (“Compliance Note”), targeted at entities operating in the global maritime and transportation industries.

There were several important developments in labor and employment law last year in the state of Florida. Below is a summary of these key changes.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) has settled with Swift Prepaid Solutions Inc. d/b/a daVinci Payments (daVinci), a financial services and payments firm based in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, for $206,213 for 12,391 apparent violations of OFAC sanctions on Crimea, Iran, Syria and Cuba. 

Judge Michael Ricciuti, who presides over the Massachusetts state asbestos litigation docket, has been appointed to a new role as Chief Justice of Massachusetts Superior Court, effective December 22, 2023. The appointment is expected to result in the end of his tenure overseeing the state asbestos litigation. 

On November 2, 2023, The United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) blocking sanctions on more than 100 Russian and third-country entities and individuals, including Russian energy, metals, technology, and financial sector entities, as well as persons in multiple countries involved in the supply of dual-use and other controlled items to Russia. The new sanctions aim to further weaken Russia’s military and industrial capabilities in connection with its pursuit of the war in Ukraine.

On November 15, 2023, the European Union (EU) High Representative Josep Borrell, together with the European Commission, submitted to the Council of the European Union (the Council) a proposal for the 12th package of EU Russia-related sanctions.

It has long been the rule in New York that a defendant should disclose all insurance policies that might provide coverage to the plaintiff for an underlying claim.