Insight and Information on Louisiana Law, Litigation, and Legal Culture
Late Tuesday afternoon, March 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued guidance in the form of 14 questions and answers on the new COVID-19 leave act. Here is the link to the latest guidance. Some of the highlights are described below.
Although practitioners and commentators uniformly agreed that the act…
The COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping many areas of law and regulation as businesses grapple with maintaining compliance, while also responding to the fluid needs of their clients and employees. In an effort to ease the regulatory burden on businesses, certain government agencies have made announcements that their offices will exercise discretion or waive certain noncompliance…
On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, the EEOC released updated guidance titled “What You Should Know About the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19.” The release may be accessed here: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/wysk/wysk_ada_rehabilitaion_act_coronavirus.cfm.
Along with some specific new guidance, the EEOC references its 2009 publication titled “Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act”…
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (“LDEQ”) issued an Emergency and Administrative Order on March 19, 2020, to address hardships posed to regulated facilities by efforts to combat the COVID-19 virus. See the order here. The Order expires on April 18, 2020. The Order may be extended and/or amended as the situation evolves. At…
On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, by a vote of 90 to 8, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 6201 – the coronavirus paid leave bill. The bill had bipartisan support and the support of both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the President. President Trump signed the bill into law shortly after passage.
The House originally…
Businesses are scouring their insurance policies for coverage for COVID-19 losses. Among the insurance policies that may provide coverage for such losses are commercial property policies, pollution liability policies, general liability policies, workers’ compensation policies, and employment practices liability policies.
Coverage Under Property Policies (Business Interruption)
Commercial property insurance policies often provide coverage for…
Employees who experience a “COBRA-qualifying event” and would otherwise lose group health coverage are entitled to elect to continue their group health coverage under federal law – COBRA. For those employers not covered by COBRA (who have fewer than 20 employees), Louisiana has a group health insurance continuation statute that also allows employees to continue…
The recent OPEC/COVID-19-related drop in energy prices may soon set off a tidal wave of energy-related bankruptcies. Funding for exploration and production (“E&P”) companies is much harder to find, and much more expensive, than it was just a few weeks ago. Reserve reports that might have been at “concern” status at year end will be…
UPDATE: All casinos, bars, and movie theaters in the entire state are ordered closed and restaurants are limited to delivery, take-out, and drive thru. The change takes effect at midnight tonight and remains in effect until April 13.
Yesterday, Mayor LaToya Cantrell of the City of New Orleans issued restrictions concerning bar and restaurant operations…
After midnight on March 14, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6201, a 110 page, bipartisan coronavirus response bill. The House approved the bill on a 363-40 vote and has President Trump’s support. Included in the bill are comprehensive mandated paid leave provisions related to the coronavirus outbreak. The Senate is expected to…
