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 »A Massachusetts Superior Court judge has ruled that a London-based Caffe Nero chain café cannot be forced to backpay rent for the months during the early days of the pandemic when they were shut down by a state mandate. Judge Kenneth Salinger ruled that the café, which closed permanently in October, was still legally bound…
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There’s a story that many of us in the Association Management profession hear when we first enter the field. It is generally told to underscore the importance of volunteerism and illustrate that associations need to rely on the engagement of their members to ensure their success. It goes like this. There were four people…
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Smack in the middle of the COVID-challenged 2020 NFL season, Inspire Brands sealed the deal to acquire Dunkin’ Brands International for the phenomenal price of $11.3 billion. Congratulations to all the players on these two (soon to be one) teams. A new owner is taking over an established and successful franchised brand. What could possibly…
Read More »In a major rebuke of Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled her executive orders extending the original declaration of a state of emergency violated the state constitution and was invalid. As backdrop, the Michigan legislature called a state of emergency back when the coronavirus pandemic first broke in March. That order expired however…
Read More »It may not be all that businesses need, but there’s many positives to be drawn from Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signing HB 606 into law just over one week ago. The “Good Samaritan Expansion Bill”, as the legislation is known, provides employers with state-law immunity from civil actions brought by customers, employees or others for…
Read More »In the first such decision rendered since the coronavirus pandemic first struck the U.S. back in March, a federal court in Pittsburgh ruled early this week that a statewide shutdown and stay-at-home order issued by the governor of Pennsylvania is unconstitutional. U.S. District Court judge William Stickman IV found that despite being well-intentioned, the order…
Read More »The Volunteer State followed the lead of its neighboring Georgia, Alabama and Arkansas this week when Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed the COVID-19 Recovery Act into law. The new law, which became effective with the Governor’s signature on August 17, provides that businesses, healthcare providers, schools, non-profits and other entities and individuals will not be…
Read More »If you’ve already reached out to your congressman and advocated for needed amendments to the HEALS Act, thank you. If you haven’t, then we need you to do so ASAP!! As we advised this week in an Action Alert Membership Update sent out yesterday to all members, the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools…
Read More »Although there hasn’t been any further movement to speak of on this issue at the federal level to date, more states are providing businesses with varying levels of protection from liability lawsuits stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, 7 states already have legislation on the books, two have issued executive orders protecting business and…
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