On May 11, 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (“DTSA”). Through the DTSA, claims for trade secret misappropriation will now have a basis in Federal law and Federal Courts will have jurisdiction over such claims. In addition to the new federal cause of action, the DTSA adds
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OSHA Announces Final Rule Making Information on Workplace Injuries and Illnesses Available Online
Today, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) announced a final rule that will make information regarding workplace injuries and illnesses available online. OSHA already requires many employers to keep a record of injuries and illnesses, but little or no information about worker injuries and illnesses at individual employers is made public. The new regulation
EPA Recognizes that the Baton Rouge Area Attained the 2008 8-Hour Ozone Standard
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,
Failure to Have a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement Results in $750,000 Fine
On April 14, 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), entered into a $750,000 settlement with a North Carolina orthopaedic clinic arising from the clinic’s disclosure of x-ray films and related protected health information of 17,300 patients to an entity that was engaged by the clinic to
Frustrated with the NLRB’s Scrutiny of Employer Work Rules?
Employers are not the only ones frustrated with the National Labor Relations Board’s ever-growing scrutiny of common employer work rules and policies. A member of the NLRB is, too.
As many employers are aware, the NLRB’s scrutiny of work rules has gone well beyond social media policies. In recent years, the NLRB has taken issue
Louisiana’s Sales Tax Occasional Sale Rule Limitation Does Not Impact Just Yard Sales
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
Louisiana Corporation Franchise Tax Extended to Non-Corporate Entities
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
EPA Poised to Begin Collecting Methane Data from Existing Oil & Gas Facilities
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in March that it is in the process of developing new regulations to curb methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities. The EPA will formally require companies operating existing oil and gas sources to provide information to assist in the development of comprehensive regulations to reduce methane emissions.
Texas Law Propels U.S. 5th Circuit’s Admiralty Attachment Decision
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,
Non-Signatories To Master Service Agreement Can Benefit From Louisiana’s Statutory Employer Defense Says U.S. 5th Circuit
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