Keenly aware of the enormous impact COVID-19 is having on small businesses throughout the country, in response, the Congress approved and on March 27, 2020, the President signed the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act” (the “CARES Act”). The CARES Act is intended, in part, to provide small businesses some much needed
Business and Corporate
Congress Responds to the Coronavirus
Responses to the coronavirus that directly impact employers are making their way through Congress. CBS and other news outlets are reporting on Congressional leaders’ negotiations regarding various measures that will directly impact employers. These measures include paid emergency sick leave and disaster unemployment assistance. See the attached link from CBS News regarding the Congressional response…
Force Majeure: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (“WHO”), officially declared COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, a pandemic with nearly 120,000 confirmed cases in 114 countries and over 4,000 deaths. With the number of cases, deaths, and countries affected expected to climb in the coming days and weeks, the virus’ global impact is extremely uncertain…
Draft Carefully – Recent U.S. Supreme Court Case Serves as Lesson to Properly Preserve Issues on Appeal
The Supreme Court of the United States recently handed down a decision on the statute of limitations period under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the “FDCPA”) to start off its term. The case provides a lesson to practitioners to draft carefully; the failure to do so may result in the loss of the cause…
Ag Lenders and Vendors: The Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019 Opens Chapter 12 Bankruptcy to More Farmers
Lenders who finance farm operations, including those who provide equipment, seed, fertilizer, and other farming-related products on credit, should be aware that the Family Farmer Relief Act of 2019 has been signed into law. This new law allows a “family farmer” with up to $10,000,000.00 in debt to restructure and to reduce debts under Chapter…
A Way to Earn More? The Risks in Earnout Provisions
A potential purchaser of a business and a corresponding seller often disagree on the value of the business, particularly in regard to sales projections. The purchaser may attempt to entice the seller with what it believes is a fair compromise – accepting the perceived over-inflated price asked for by the seller, but paying only a…
Recent United States Supreme Court Decision Tackles Question of What Happens When Bankruptcy Meets Intellectual Property
A recent United States Supreme Court decision handed down in May addressed what occurred when contract, bankruptcy, and intellectual property laws intersected.[1] In Mission Products Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC nka Old Cold, LLC, the Supreme Court was presented with the question of whether a debtor’s rejection of an executory contract rescinded the…
Recent Appellate Court Decision Sheds Light on Shareholder Remedies Under the Louisiana Business Corporation Act
A decision handed down by Louisiana’s Third Circuit Court of Appeal on February 21, 2019, is the first reported case to examine the remedy granted to oppressed shareholders by the Louisiana Business Corporation Act (LBCA), which became effective in 2015.
The LBCA introduced in Louisiana a version of what is known as the “oppression remedy,”…
Don’t Throw Out Your Old Construction MSA Just Yet – LA Middle District Holds That the Date of the MSA Controls (Not the Date of the Work Order) For Purposes of Applying the Louisiana Construction Anti-Indemnity Act
The Louisiana Construction Anti-Indemnity Act (La. R.S. 9:2780.1) generally renders null, void and unenforceable any provision in a construction contract (defined broadly to include design, construction, alteration, renovation, repair, and maintenance) which either:
(1) purports to indemnify, defend, or hold harmless, or has the effect of indemnifying, defending, or holding harmless, the indemnitee against the…
Cell Phone Reward and Risk
In a recent Supreme Court decision involving the Fourth Amendment, Justice Roberts noted that there are 396 million cell phones accounts in the United States for a nation of only 326 million people. The cell phone provides numerous functions including access to contacts, data, information and the internet. Some studies suggest people check cell phones…