Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
California Court Ruling Offers Way for Voters to Stave Off Shutdown of Uber, Lyft
Aug 20 2020 // A California appeals court ruling on Thursday avoided a shutdown of ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft in the state, effectively handing a decision over gig worker benefits and pay to voters in a November ballot...
Federal Judge Upholds $925M Damages Verdict in Oregon Robocall Case
Aug 20 2020 // A federal judge has upheld a $925 million damages award in a class-action case against a Michigan-based marketing company that a jury in Portland, Oregon, found had conducted unlawful telemarketing practices. ViSalus Inc....
Limitations Period for Reimbursement Claims Does Not Apply in Industrial Accident Case
Aug 20 2020 // Reimbursement claims made against the town of Adams, Mass., by the town’s workers’ compensation insurer are not subject to the two-year statute of limitations established in a Department of Industrial Accidents...
Tennessee Gov Signs COVID-19 Business, School, Nursing Home Liability Law
Aug 20 2020 // Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has signed into law sweeping protections for businesses, schools and nursing homes against coronavirus lawsuits. Lee on Monday touted the legislation as “historic” and argued the law...
Federal Judge Declines to Block Louisiana’s Forced Bar Closures
Aug 19 2020 // A federal judge in New Orleans refused on Aug. 17 to block a state order closing bars to stop the spread of COVID-19, handing a defeat to 10 southeast Louisiana bar owners who had sued to stop the closure. U.S. District...
Judge: North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Candidate Not Eligible to Run
Aug 19 2020 // A South Central District judge has concluded the Democratic-NPL nominee for North Dakota insurance commissioner hasn’t lived in the state long enough to hold the office. The decision by Judge Thomas Schneider about...
Is California’s Prop 103 System ‘Democratic’?
Aug 18 2020 // Defining the term “democracy” has long been a challenging proposition. Nearly all agree that a democracy is a government that reflects the will of the people, but questions about the particulars, of what...
Judge Questions Authority Issue in Lawsuit on Closed Las Vegas Bars
Aug 17 2020 // A Nevada judge has said she wants proof she would have the authority to order the governor to rescind a coronavirus pandemic directive and let Las Vegas-area bars and taverns reopen. “What is the law that says I have...
Wisconsin Board Delays Rules Setting New Restrictions on PFAS Chemicals
Aug 17 2020 // Environmental regulators in Wisconsin has voted to table rules setting new restrictions on firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals. The Department of Natural Resources’ policy board made the decision in a...
Federal Judge Advances Business Interruption Dispute Between Law Firm, Travelers
Aug 17 2020 // A federal judge in California disappointed a law firm suing Travelers Insurance over coronavirus lockdown related business interruption claims in refusing to remove its case to state court and denying its request for a...
Los Angeles County Owes $8M to Man Killed Like George Floyd, Court Rules
Aug 17 2020 // Los Angeles County must pay a full $8 million damage award to the family of a Black man whose death had similarities to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, the California Supreme Court ruled. While subduing...
Judge Tosses Texas Barbershops’ Suit Against Insurer Over Coronavirus Losses
Aug 16 2020 // A federal judge has agreed with an insurer that a group of barbershops in the San Antonio, Texas-area have no basis for claims seeking coverage under their commercial insurance policies for business interruption losses...
Nevada Governor Signs Business Liability And Worker Protection Bill
Aug 14 2020 // Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has signed legislation expanding workplace safety protections for hotel and casino employees and shielding businesses that follow health directives from coronavirus-related...
Calif. Court Rules Amazon Liable Like Other Retailers for Defective Products
Aug 14 2020 // Amazon.com can be held liable like other traditional retailers for injuries from defective products sold via its sprawling e-commerce marketplace, a California state appeals court ruled on Thursday. The decision overturned...
Judge Allows Businesses’ Lawsuits Against Insurer Over Coronavirus Losses
Aug 12 2020 // A federal judge in Missouri said on Wednesday a group of hair salons and restaurants can sue their insurance carrier for business interruption losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which they say caused a...
Oklahoma Lawmaker to Study COVID-19 Impact on Employment, Wages
Aug 12 2020 // A state lawmaker in Oklahoma is launching an interim study on how COVID-19 has affected employment and wages in that state. State Rep. Forrest Bennett, D-OKC, said in a media release that he hopes to focus the study on...
Federal Judge in Mississippi Calls On Supreme Court to Examine Qualified Immunity
Aug 12 2020 // A federal judge in Mississippi has issued a sharply worded ruling that calls on the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the principle of qualified immunity, which protects law enforcement officers from being sued for some of...
Justice Department Urges Congress to Rewrite Regulatory Policy
Aug 12 2020 // The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday urged Congress to revise a 74-year-law that is central to how the government sets regulatory policy. Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen told Reuters the department wanted to work with...
California Judge Blocks Uber, Lyft From Classifying Drivers as Contractors
Aug 10 2020 // A California judge on Monday granted the state’s request for a preliminary injunction blocking Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. from classifying their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. The...
Judge Orders PG&E in California to Beef up Safety
Aug 10 2020 // A federal judge has ordered Pacific Gas and Electric to better inspect high-voltage power lines, hire more tree-trimming supervisors and upgrade records regarding the age of electrical equipment as part of efforts to...
