California Governor Edmond G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. recently signed into law Senate Bill 633 (Hill), a bill that modernizes California’s “Made in U.S.A.” labeling standard to reflect the real-world market in which companies make products using components from around the globe. Under the prior law, it was unlawful to sell…
Starting January 1, 2016, New Hampshire will require persons who perform residential “mold assessment” services for remuneration to possess a valid national “third party certification” for mold assessment. Under the new law, any professional hired by a homeowner, in which the primary work contracted for is not mold assessment, will be exempt…
On July 29, 2015, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed into law House Bill 2635 to amend Illinois’ Mechanic’s Lien Act (Act) to permit the substitution of an “eligible surety bond,” as defined, for a mechanic’s lien. The new law expressly contemplates that a person may file a petition to substitute a…
Yesterday, Pillsbury attorney Robert Wallan published his client alert titled In Reversal, California Supreme Court Allows Assignment of Coverage for Liability Claims. The Alert discusses the California Supreme Court’s reversal of its own heavily criticized decision in Henkel Corp. v. Hartford Accident & Indem. Co. (2003) 29 Cal. 4th 934. …
Today, Pillsbury attorneys Mark Jones, and Jessica Lutrin published their client advisory titled SEC Adopts Final Pay Ratio Disclosure Rules. The Advisory discusses the SEC’s adoption of its Final Rule under the Dodd-Frank Act to require U.S. public companies to disclose the ratio of the annual total compensation of their principal executive…
In the latest ruling in the case of National Association of Manufacturers, et al., v. SEC, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held today that the Secuiety and Exchange Commission’s “conflict minerals” rule’s compelled disclosures—affecting the acquisition of certain minerals produced in the…
UPDATE: Cal/OSHA Cites Two Employers More Than $300,000 for Exposing Workers to Cave-In Hazards after Stop-Work Order Issued Recently, Cal/OSHA issued a News Release confirming that its criminal investigation into a cave-in death of a day laborer in late January 2012 has resulted in a 2-year prison sentence for both the…
In Minnick, et al., v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, decided on August 12, 2015, involves conservation easements. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the U.S. Tax Court’s decision that disallowed a charitable deduction under Treasury Regulation § 1.170A-14(g)(2) claimed by the taxpayers for the donation of…
For the second time in two years, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, in an important attorney-client privilege case, has issued a Writ of Mandamus to protect the contents of an internal corporate investigation that was led by the company’s lawyers. The case is In…
Recently, the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies coordinated a national sting operation carried out June 15-26, 2015 “to elevate consumer protection and deter illegal construction practices.” Nine states participated in the effort to combat what is commonly referred to as the underground economy: Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, Rhode Island, South…