Tag Archives: COVID-19

Texas Announces Plan to Ease Restrictions and Allow Expanded Operations of Most Businesses Statewide

By Ashlee Grant on September 18, 2020 Posted in Texas

Citing a continued decline in the rate of hospitalizations throughout the state, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a pair of executive orders on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, aimed at easing restrictions on businesses and hospitals throughout the state. Most notably, most businesses throughout the state will be allowed to operate at 75 percent capacity beginning … Continue Reading

Anxious About Tort Liability? Ohio Enacts House Bill 606, ‘Good Samaritan Expansion Bill,’ to Limit Employer Liability for COVID-19 Exposure

By Teddy Webb on September 17, 2020 Posted in Civil Action Lawsuits

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 606 into law on Monday, Sept. 16, 2020. Known as the “Good Samaritan Expansion Bill,” the law protects employers, both private and public, from civil action lawsuits for damages stemming from COVID-19 exposure, except in reckless or wanton exposure cases. In relevant part, the new law reads: SECTION 2. … Continue Reading

DOL Issues New Guidance on Several FFCRA Issues

By Greg Mersol on September 14, 2020 Posted in Department of Labor

Introduction The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was enacted just under six months ago in the wake of closings prompted by the then new coronavirus pandemic. As most employers know, the FFCRA created leave rights for many employees of employers with fewer than 500 employees for absences caused by the virus and its aftermath. … Continue Reading

California Enacts COVID-19 Sick Leave for Workers

By Nancy Inesta and Joseph S. Persoff on September 11, 2020 Posted in California

Last week, California enacted a law, Assembly Bill (AB) 1867, providing supplemental COVID-19-related sick leave to food-sector workers and workers employed by a company with 500 or more employees nationwide. The law requires employers of such employees to provide sick leave – in addition to any other leave the employee may be entitled to – … Continue Reading

Workers’ Compensation and Employer Liability in the Era of COVID-19

By Joel Griswold and Lindsay McCall on September 10, 2020 Posted in Workers' Compensation

With companies continuing to reopen for in-person operations amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many employers are left wondering if they could face increased liability related to employees contracting COVID-19 in the workplace. Liability related to contracting a virus in the workplace could take the form of a negligence action or a claim for workers’ compensation. … Continue Reading

New York Southern District Vacates Several Provisions of the DOL’s Final Rule on the FFCRA

By Priya Amin on August 10, 2020 Posted in New York

On August 3, 2020, the Southern District of New York issued a decision vacating certain provisions of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Final Rule on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). This ruling will be difficult and problematic for many employers and will create substantial uncertainty in the workplace. The FFCRA, which was enacted … Continue Reading

New Jersey’s Expansion of Family Leave for COVID-19

By Fanny Ferdman on April 20, 2020 Posted in New Jersey

On April 14, 2020, Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation (S2374) to expand the New Jersey Family Leave Act (NJFLA). The basic idea behind it is to ensure that eligible employees who need to take time off to care for a family member during the COVID-19 outbreak (and other similar health epidemics) can take up to … Continue Reading

New York Passes Statewide Paid Sick Leave Law

By Fanny Ferdman and Saima Sheikh on April 9, 2020 Posted in New York

Just weeks after New York state implemented an Emergency COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Law, late last week, New York state passed a statewide paid sick leave (State PSL) law as part of its fiscal year 2020-2021 budget. The new law, which adds Section 196-b to the New York Labor Law, requires all New York state … Continue Reading

New York State Passes Statewide Paid Sick Leave Related to COVID-19

By Saima Sheikh and Amy J. Traub on March 19, 2020 Posted in New York

Last night, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York signed a bill into law that provides statewide paid sick leave related to the COVID-19 pandemic to employees in order “to address the immediate need of employees affected by COVID-19 who are subject to mandatory or precautionary orders of quarantine or isolation” issued by New York state, … Continue Reading