A federal court in Dallas Texas has permanently enjoined the city of Dallas from implementing its paid sick leave law finding the 2019 ordinance to be in conflict with state law. The Texas Minimum Wage Act (TMWA) establishes the minimum wage in the state currently at $7.25 per hour, the same as the federal rate.…
Read More »Florida became the most recent state in the nation to enact a liability shield law for businesses when Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 72 earlier this week. The legislation, which is the first concrete action taken by the legislature this session and the first signed into law by DeSantis this year, sets a high legal…
Read More »In the absence of a national policy limiting business liability against claims that stem from the coronavirus pandemic, more states are stepping up with limited liability protection to ensure that small businesses are not unfairly subjected to frivolous litigation. Most recently, the state of West Virginia became the latest state to put a law on…
Read More »Two different state senate bodies recently passed legislation that will shield various businesses from liability for COVID-19 infections. In Kentucky, where the house had passed liability shield legislation in January, the state senate passed its owned version which protects businesses from pandemic related lawsuits unless the business engaged in “wanton, willful, malicious or grossly negligent…
Read More »As we pass the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus pandemic hitting the United States in earnest and the accompanying business lockdowns, mask mandates and social distance dictates, many elected officials are moving to get back to normal. Atop the list seems to be Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an Executive Order this past Tuesday rescinding…
Read More »When Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb signed SB.1 into law last week, the Hoosier State became the most recent to enact a liability shield law to protect businesses from lawsuits regarding the coronavirus pandemic. The new Indiana law provides protection from frivolous lawsuits for businesses, schools, health care providers, governments and other entities from lawsuits alleging…
Read More »The Florida Senate Committee on the Judiciary early this week passed Senate Bill 72, which provides liability protection from frivolous lawsuits related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The legislation, entitled Civil Liability for Damages Relating to COVID-19, protects businesses against a COVID-19 related claim specifically requires a (state) court to dismiss without prejudice any lawsuit where…
Read More »Notwithstanding continuing unfulfilled promises of business liability shields from COVID lawsuits at the federal level, a number of additional states are now considering implementing their own liability shields at the state level. Currently, both Indiana and Florida are considering bills filed for the new legislative sessions that would provide a level of immunity from potentially…
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Presidents and presidential candidates come and go, with this year’s election no different than many others in our country’s history in that regard. But many of the issues Dunkin’ franchise owners care about are not solely or even principally determined in Washington, D.C. Rather, state lawmakers and their counterparts on the local level – city…
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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought small business numerous challenges. We can now add another to the list: Employees filing increasing numbers of COVID-19 related lawsuits. In fact, according to the Fisher Phillips Employment Litigation Tracker, as of November 1, COVID-19 related lawsuits have been filed against 950 employers. The highest number of lawsuits were filed…
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