For invitations to our events and updates on key legal issues and business concerns:
Please Click HerePosted on July 28, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
You are excited to get back to work! However, a few of your employees are not so eager to shed their jammies for pleated pants or steel-toed shoes. Can you force them to return? On the other hand, some employees who are happy to return have asked that you monitor off-duty conduct. You are getting […]
Posted on July 23, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Beginning on Friday, July, 24, 2020 at 11:59 p.m., face coverings must be worn in Minnesota by all persons at indoor businesses, indoor public settings, and by workers outside when social distancing practices cannot be followed. Businesses are required to update their COVID-19 Preparedness Plans to include this requirement, inform their workers of this update, […]
Posted on July 22, 2020 by Jessica A. Merkel and Mark D. Munson
Donna’s husband Phil is in a nursing home and receives Medicaid benefits to pay for his care (a.k.a. Medical Assistance or Title-19). Donna wants to make sure Phil’s Medicaid remains in place and is protected, so she wants to know “Is there anything else I need to do?” As the spouse who is not receiving […]
Posted on July 20, 2020 by Sara J. Ackermann
Last week, the Department of Labor announced new Family Medical Leave Act forms were available on its website. (Note these forms are not applicable to the “Expanded FMLA” available under the Family First Coronavirus Response Act. Please don’t tell me you have no idea what I am talking about… ) The Department clarified, as with […]
Posted on July 9, 2020 by Amy E. Ebeling and Mary Ellen Schill
Way back in March, as the pandemic began to set in, Congress quickly passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (the Act) as part of a barrage of legislation aimed at providing relief to American workers. The Act requires that companies with fewer than 500 employees offer expanded paid leave—80 hours of paid sick leave […]
Posted on July 2, 2020 by Amy E. Ebeling
The IRS recently offered relief to Qualified Opportunity Fund investors, waiving a penalty and pushing back some investment deadlines. This new guidance comes as investment in opportunity zones slows, stymied by brisk coronavirus-related headwinds. A recent survey of investors conducted by the Economic Innovation Group, which helped design the program before it was tucked into […]
Posted on July 1, 2020 by Jessica A. Merkel, Mark D. Munson and Ruder Ware Alumni
As we reflect on the close of World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, we wanted to share some information on this important issue. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines elder abuse as an intentional act, or failure to act, by a caregiver or another person in a relationship involving an expectation of trust that […]
Posted on June 30, 2020 by Paul J. Mirr
Back in mid-March (which seems much longer than three months ago!), many governors issued stay-at-home orders, silencing the bustle of everyday activity. Restaurants and bars locked their doors, schools moved online, and weekend traffic on Wisconsin’s interstate highways decreased 60%. It was the equivalent, Paul Krugman wrote at the time, of a “medically induced coma, […]
Posted on June 26, 2020 by Matthew D. Rowe
The Federal Reserve’s (Fed) $600 billion Main Street Lending Program recently launched the latest of several market interventions aimed at cushioning some of the economic damage wrought by the coronavirus. The program aims to provide loans to businesses that were doing well prior to the pandemic but are now struggling to fund operations and retain […]
Posted on June 24, 2020 by Shanna N. Fink
Yesterday, the IRS issued additional guidance regarding two hot topics over the last six months: the waiver of the 2020 required minimum distributions (RMDs) from retirement plans and IRAs, and the change in the required beginning date for RMDs from age 70 ½ to age 72. Extension and Expansion of 60-Day Rollover for 2020 RMDs […]