The wait is over (for better or worse) – the DOL has released its final rule concerning changes to the salary requirements to be exempt from the overtime pay requirement under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Under the final rule, the DOL has increased the minimum salary threshold that must be paid in order
The May 4, 2016, Federal Register contains a notice of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA’s”) final decision that the Baton Rouge ozone nonattainment area has attained the 2008 8-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard (“NAAQS”). 81 Fed. Reg. 26,697. (The Baton Rouge nonattainment area consists of the parishes of Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville,
Last December, we posted an article addressing the recent conflicted decisions out of the Eastern District of Louisiana on the remaining availability of punitive damages against third parties under general maritime law. You can find that article here. In 2016, the conflict continues…
As we mentioned, Judge Fallon allowed a claim for punitive damages
The Louisiana state and local sales tax laws have historically included an isolated or occasional sale rule. In general, the rule looks at the characteristics of a seller to determine if a sales taxable transaction has occurred. If the seller is not engaged in the business of selling the type of property being sold and
The Louisiana Corporation Franchise Tax (“CFT”) has historically been imposed only on corporations. Thus, LLCs and partnerships have not been subject to the CFT. In the Special Session that ended last March, the Louisiana Legislature expanded the companies subject to the CFT to include non-corporate entities that elect to be taxed as corporations for federal
Providing much needed clarity to an ambiguous and precedent-sparse arena of federal admiralty law, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal relied on Texas common law when recently upholding a district court’s denial of a Motion to Vacate Attachment under Supplemental Admiralty Rule B. In Malin v. Int’l Ship Repair & Drydock, Inc. v. Oceanografia
In December 2015, the U.S. 5th Circuit (in a 2-1 decision) was called to decide whether a non-operating partner in a joint venture qualified as a “statutory employer” under the Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Act (“LWCA”), La. R.S. § 23:1021, even though that party did not sign the contract and was not specifically mentioned in the
In the Gulf of Mexico, helicopters have replaced seagoing vessels as the primary mode of transporting workers from shore to their jobs on offshore platforms and rigs. It is black letter law that a seagoing vessel in peril that is rescued is subject to an award for salvage. Since helicopters have replaced vessels in the
On Wednesday, February 24, 2016, President Obama signed H.R. 644, known as the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (“Customs Bill”). For Louisiana’s vast number of companies operating in the agribusiness, seafood processing, and related industries, the signing of the bill is a significant milestone. The Customs Bill sets forth principal objectives concerning: (1) general
Since the announcement by Helis Oil & Gas that it intended to introduce hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) to St. Tammany Parish, the local response has been vitriolic to stay the least – from public protests and interstate billboards to lawsuits. In fact, according to DNR officials, the large public hearing on Helis’ drilling permit application was