Does a private sector employer violate Title VII when it forbids employees from wearing face masks that express a position on current events? Generally, no. This was recently reaffirmed by a federal court in Massachusetts, where employees sued Whole Foods Market,...
The Act impacts both employers and employees alike by amending the procedure surrounding employment discrimination claims in Ohio as follows: The Act shortens the statute of limitations for employment discrimination claims from six years to two years. The Act...
On Sunday evening, President Trump signed into law the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act. Of critical importance, Congress appropriated an additional $284 billion toward the Paycheck Protection Program and created the opportunity...
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) updated the EEOC COVID-19 guidance with information on vaccinations on December 16, 2020. The guidance focuses on potential questions regarding vaccinations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), Title...
Effective today, the SEC will allow more middle-class individuals to participate in private securities offerings. The SEC’s new rule will consider some classes of prospective investors as “accredited” based on their experience and ability to assess an investment...
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine, signed House Bill 606 (the “Bill”) into law. The main focus of the Bill is to provide businesses certain immunities from liability claims in connection with COVID-19, and to deter the number of lawsuits...
After 3 weeks of threats, the SBA has relaxed its position on borrowers who received PPP loans of less than $2 million, providing a complete safe-harbor for the “uncertainty/necessity” certification. Borrowers with larger loans can also breathe easier; they will have a chance to repay upon the SBA’s request, before facing liability. According to SBA FAQ #46, all companies that,…
Friday afternoon, the SBA’s inspector general outlined areas of SBA’s PPP regulations that do not comport with Congress’ language in the CARES Act. In the crosshairs: the requirement that at least 75 percent of the forgiven sum be comprised of payroll costs. According to the IG, this rule would result in tens of thousands of borrowers paying back operational expenses…
The SBA announced Tuesday that PPP borrowers will have an additional week to decide whether to send back their loan. Before this new May 14 deadline, the SBA will release additional guidance on how the SBA will critique a borrower’s “uncertainty” certification. As of Monday, 117,834 PPP loans have been issued to Ohio borrowers. As a condition to receiving a…
As of 1 p.m. Friday, President Trump signed Covid 3.5 legislation, which infused $310 billion into the Paycheck Protection Program, giving small business owners a second chance to receive forgivable loans. The consensus among bankers is that there is a large backlog of applications. The reason? Congress underfunded the original PPP program, and then delayed for two weeks before adding…
