The 21st Century Cures Act will allow small employers to establish health reimbursement arrangements for their employees without risking penalties under the Affordable Care Act.
New program launched to stop the illegal importation and distribution of dangerous counterfeit consumer electronics at the border.
The new amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure have been in place for one year. So how have the courts addressed the new rules regarding e-discovery?
China’s Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopted the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China that will take effect on June 1, 2017.
Financial institutions have not been shy about challenging Minnesota Department of Revenue tax determinations in court. Recently, banks have once again started filing court appeals disputing Minnesota’s corporate franchise tax assessments.
A Texas federal judge issued a nationwide injunction that will prevent the United States Department of Labor from enforcing its highly-anticipated and controversial revisions to the “white collar” overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Under 28 U.S.C. § 1404(a), “[f]or the convenience of parties and witnesses, in the interest of justice, a district court may transfer any civil action to any other district or division where it might have been brought.”
On November 18, 2016, the IRS released Notice 2016-70, which provides a partial extension of the deadlines for employer and insurer reporting under the Affordable Care Act.
Investment firms are among those being targeted by enterprising plaintiffs’ lawyers alleging that the firms’ website are inaccessible to blind or otherwise disabled users.
The end of the calendar year is quickly approaching. Make sure you are prepared for year-end transactions.
The IP5 Patent Prosecution Highway Program has been available to U.S. patent applicants for just over two years. It was implemented to permit cooperation between the five largest Patent Offices.
The two lawsuits filed in Texas federal court to enjoin implementation of the Department of Labor’s new salary requirements for exempt employees have not yet been decided. This means that the effective date of these new salary requirements is just around the corner. Are you ready?
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2017 cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirement plans. Some limits have increased, and some have remained the same.
On October 13, 2016, John Stout opened the Twin Cities Business Outstanding Directors Awards event by describing some of today’s most important governance themes.
A recent products-liability case from a federal district court addressed the issue of the discoverability of communications between the defendants’ foreign subsidiaries with foreign regulators regarding the IVC filters at issue in the case.
On October 8, 2016, China's Ministry of Commerce issued interim measures further stream-lining the process for establishing companies in China and related corporate changes. Find out how this will impact companies doing business in China and future investment.
The Eighth Circuit recently held that a broad indemnification clause obligated the indemnifying party to indemnify the other party for its own misconduct. What should you do to avoid becoming an unwitting insurer?
Businesses with employees in California will be impacted by two recently-passed laws. Find out what action you can take to avoid penalties.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection released a highly-anticipated report on lead generation on September 15, 2016. Read more for details.
The short answer is “yes.” Whether you are inspired by this year’s U.S. presidential debates or otherwise to host your own debate, a 501(c)(3) can engage in various election-related activities, so long as the 501(c)(3) follows certain rules so as not to jeopardize its tax-exempt status.
The United States Supreme Court’s recent Halo Electronics v. Pulse Electronics case made it easier for a patent holder to win punitive damages in a patent infringement case.
When forming new business entities, a primary goal is to shield yourself and other stakeholders from personal liability as much as possible.
On September 7, 2016, the St. Paul City Council passed the St. Paul Earned Sick and Safe Time Ordinance. Here is what employers need to know now if they have employees who work in St. Paul.
Is your bank’s website accessible to the visually impaired? If it is not, now is the time to address this issue as businesses across the country are receiving demand letters and being made parties to legal claims for alleged violations of the ADA.
Whether you are looking to buy a bank or thinking about selling, there are some considerations to keep in mind in order to accomplish your goal—get the best price. This brief guidance is for buyers hoping not to overpay for a bank, as well as for sellers trying to sell their bank for the highest price.
Banks and other employers may need to update their policies, practices and agreements due to recently enacted employment and benefits requirements, including the following:
Clients may wish to consider some actions following the IRS proposed regulations that would eliminate many estate and gift tax valuation discounts currently applicable to family-owned business entities.
The Supreme Court essentially upended the President’s Executive Order that provided limited benefits to parents of U.S. citizens or permanent resident children and an expanded class of “Dreamers” who were brought to the U.S. in unauthorized status as children.
What is old is new again when it comes to willful infringement.
Find out what the recently adopted Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act means for North Dakota business and which changes may surprise those who are used to forming their own LLCs.
Find out what additional steps every registered broker, dealer, investment company and investment adviser must take to demonstrate compliance with the Safeguards Rule.
Some employers may have missed the issuance of another significant rule from the DOL.
Significant changes to Minnesota trust law adopt a number of new concepts and modernize Minnesota’s laws to be similar to the trust laws of other retirement-friendly states.
Recently, a successful company fell victim to a crime that is increasingly targeting companies with a global presence and traveling executives.
On May 27, 2016, the Minneapolis City Council passed the Minneapolis Sick and Safe Time Ordinance. The law is effective July 1, 2017. The mayor approved amendments on September 28, 2016, and further guidance may be forthcoming in the future, but here is what Minneapolis employers need to know now.
Between April 19 and May 3, 2016, Olive Garden, Domino's, Potbelly and Dean & Deluca were each named as a defendant in four separate but similar class action lawsuits.
On May 18, 2016, the Department of Labor issued the long-awaited new regulations which provide widespread and significant changes affecting all businesses and employees covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
Under the MHRA, an employee has one year to file a legal claim for alleged unlawful employment discrimination. A recent case found that an employer’s internal investigation can suspend the running of that one-year period.
On May 11, 2016, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) into law, creating a new federal cause of action for trade secret misappropriation.
Employers face ever-increasing threats to the security of their trade secrets. Now, thanks to Congress, employers have a new tool to combat such threats (along with new potential headaches).
The U.S. government has recently announced an expanded program that provides many foreign STEM graduates with an extended employment period.
What is the future of patent protection for biotechnology in light of the Federal Circuit’s latest decision on patentable subject matter?
Important changes in the regulations governing European Union Community Trademarks may affect the scope of your trademark protection for CTM applications filed before June 22, 2012.
On April 6, 2016, the Department of Labor issued its much-anticipated conflicts of interest final rule.
The FTC is investigating the advertising practices of Volkswagen after uncovering it fitted its “clean diesel” automobiles with illegal emission defeat devices.
- Recent Order from Magistrate Judge Franklin L. Noel Provides Important Lessons on Expert Disclosures
A recent order by Magistrate Judge Noel in Luminara Worldwide, LLC v. Liown Electronics Co. helps to clarify the Federal Rules on expert disclosures.
The F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) program provides foreign students one year of work authorization in their field of academic studies.
LifeLock will pay $100 million to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to settle the FTC’s contempt charges. This settlement is the largest award the FTC has obtained in an enforcement action.
Are co-existence agreements no longer a surefire strategy for getting a trademark registration in the face of a likelihood of confusion refusal?
A recent case before Magistrate Judge Bowbeer offered further guidance on how and when courts should reduce the number of asserted claims.
