Ohio H.B. 606 became law effective September 14, 2020. Equally important, the new law’s protections have been made retroactive to March 9, 2020 – the date of Governor Mike DeWine’s first Executive Order relating to the pandemic. The law provides businesses, schools and health care workers relatively broad and comprehensive civil immunity from liability for […]
By: Ryan Bockmuller Recently, the Ohio Legislature has introduced a number of police reform bills which, if passed, could materially impact the provision of police services in the State of Ohio. House Bill 706, introduced by Rep. Erica Crawly (D – Dist. 26) and Rep. Thomas West (D – Dist. 49), seeks to enact R.C. […]
By Cara Wright On June 24, 2020, the Ohio First District Court of Appeals held in Acuity v. Masters Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 1st Dist. Hamilton No. C-190176, 2020-Ohio-3440 that an insurer has a duty to defend an insured pharmaceutical distributor in lawsuits brought by governmental entities for costs incurred combating the opioid epidemic. This declaratory judgment […]
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Title VII outlaws discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Until yesterday, federal courts across the country were divided on whether Title […]
HB 197 went into effect on March 27, 2020. This is a new Ohio law that may alter the way municipalities collect income tax as a result of the COVID-19 emergency. The Ohio Legislative Service Commission stated in its Final Analysis that the new law redefines “principal place of work” as the city where homebound […]
By Michael Byrne Ohio employers are forced to handle a multitude of unprecedented challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. With regard to the issue of workers’ compensation, Ohio employers should be aware of several proposed and enacted changes that will affect claims handling, and determine whether or not claims arising from exposure to COVID-19 are […]
On April 27, 2020, the Governor announced the schedule for businesses to return to operations to include the re-opening of dental practices for all dental procedures effective May 1. The return to practice includes strict adherence to Ohio Administrative Code provisions set forth in 4715-20 with respect to patient and personnel protection as well as […]
The global impact of COVID-19 has led to many questions about ensuring workplace safety while also complying with anti-discrimination law. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has offered guidance on such topics with a publication entitled Pandemic Preparedness in the Workplace and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some of the more important answers to frequently asked […]
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has finalized the recently issued FFCRA regulations which have been formally added to the federal register as Paid Leave Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, 85 Fed. Reg. 19326 (April 6, 2020) (to be codified at 29 C.F.R. § 826). For details on the new FFCRA regulations, please see our […]