The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) continues to update its guidance on dealing with employment issues related to coronavirus. Last week, it added additional information to its Questions and Answers in the Return to Work section. As a way to help track the ever-changing guidance, the EEOC notes the date when the particular information was … Read more
On May 6, 2020, Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, announced the release of final regulations concerning Title IX. Title IX is the Federal statute that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance. The Department of Education (“DOE”) is the Federal agency responsible for enforcing Title … Read more
Hoping to provide some financial relief to millions of U.S. workers, Congress passed the CARES Act back in March. Among other tings, the Act provides expanded Federal unemployment benefits to workers who lost jobs because of coronavirus and were eligible for state unemployment benefits. But this expanded unemployment has had the unintended consequence of creating … Read more
On May 1, 2020, Governor Chris Sununu issued a new emergency order with revised stay-at-home guidelines and a timeline for certain business openings. The entire Stay At Home Order 2.0, which remains in effect until May 31, 2020, can be found here. New Hampshire appears to be leading the region in setting forth its planned, … Read more
For several weeks now, the news cycle concerning the COVID-19 bailouts has been dominated by controversies surrounding the Paycheck Protection Program and the loans available to “small businesses.” The first round of funding ran out in under two weeks with only approximately 5% of the nation’s small businesses obtaining funds. Companies ranging from Shake Shack, … Read more
The DOL issued new guidance to the states for implementation of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) under the CARES Act. In doing so, the DOL answered a number of questions about who is eligible for benefits, how claims can be filed, how are benefits are calculated, and, importantly, what happens when you call workers back to … Read more
Trying to do their part to stop the spread of COVID-19, most colleges and universities have closed their campuses to students. Enrolled students who were once living and learning among their peers, attending in-person lectures from professors and accessing schools’ state-of-the art facilities, are now learning remotely. Many colleges and universities have reimbursed students for … Read more
In a recent Legal Line post, we blogged about how business interruption insurance might be a source of reimbursement for lost revenues caused by COVID-19. We noted that insurance companies were intent on fighting the claims relying on exclusions and non-coverage arguments. As the global pandemic continues, the debate over business interruption coverage continues, playing … Read more
Today, the EEOC issued additional technical guidance on dealing with Covid19 in the workplace. This guidance largely restates what the EEOC issued on April 17, but with an added Q and A that clarifies how employers may require Covid19 testing for employees in the work place, and justifying such testing “because an individual with the … Read more
Businesses are trying to find ways to stay afloat during the slow downs and closures caused by COVID-19. Many are appropriately looking to their insurance policies to determine if they might provide coverage. General liability policies typically provide defense and indemnity for claims alleging that the business caused some type of injury to an individual … Read more