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Everything you need to know about BMD and the industry.
Client Alert
EEOC Provides Updated Guidance Regarding Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Policies
June 3, 2021
On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its guidance regarding employer COVID-19 vaccination policies. The new guidance provides much-needed clarification of expectations for employers seeking to promote workplace safety and prevent the spread of COVID-19, including discussion of mandatory vaccination policies, voluntary vaccination incentives, and accommodation of employees based on disability or sincerely held religious beliefs. The full text of the update is found in Section K of the EEOC’s COVID Q&A document. You can also learn more about these and other developments from BMD's Bryan Meek and Monica Andress through the Employment Law After Hours YouTube channel, available here.
Posted by
Russell T. Rendall
Client Alert
Banking and Cannabis: Bank Lending, The Next Frontier
May 10, 2021
A fortuitous combination of developments and circumstances present the banking and cannabis industries a large opportunity to enhance each of their respective bottom lines: conventional bank lending, payment processing, treasury management and other services, and bank administered SBA and revenue bond financing to cannabis businesses.
Posted by
Stephen A. Lenn, Russell T. Rendall and James B. Young with Teddy Kirsch of L&S Business Law
Client Alert
Ohio Enacts Substantial Changes to Employment Discrimination Laws
February 25, 2021
In January, Governor Mike DeWine signed into law the Employment Law Uniformity Act, amending the employment protections in the Ohio Civil Rights Act in several significant ways. Such changes to the state’s anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws have been considered and debated for years and finally made their way into Ohio law. What has changed for employment claims under the amended Ohio Civil Rights Act?
Posted by
Russell T. Rendall
Client Alert
Will Federal Legislation Open Cannabis Acquisition Floodgate?
February 18, 2021
Are potential buyers quietly lobbying at federal and state levels to kick open the door to launch a new round of strategic acquisitions? Will presently pending federal legislation, the SAFE and MORE Acts, providing safe harbor for banks and re- or de-scheduling marijuana, be sufficient to mobilize into action major non-cannabis companies that previously shunned the cannabis industry due to the unknown implications of owning businesses whose activities are illegal under federal law?
Posted by
Stephen A. Lenn, Russell T. Rendall, James B. Young along with Teddy Kirsch of L&S Business Law
Client Alert
DOL Finalizes New Rule Regarding Independent Contractor Status, But Its Future Is In Jeopardy
January 11, 2021
On January 6, 2021, the Department of Labor announced its final rule regarding independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act. As described in a prior BMD client alert, this new rule was fast-tracked by the Trump administration after its proposal in September 2020. The new rule is set to take effect on March 8, 2021, and contains several key developments related to the "economic reality" test used to determine whether an individual is an independent contractor or an employee under the FLSA.
Posted by
Russel T. Rendall
Client Alert
Updates for Employers Regarding Medical Marijuana
December 11, 2020
In 2020, the momentum for marijuana legalization and decriminalization continued. In the November elections, five more states legalized either medical marijuana, recreational marijuana, or both. Although marijuana remains illegal in any form under federal law, just last week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to decriminalize marijuana usage at the federal level. It's unlikely that the Senate will approve of that, but it is another milestone in what has been a rapidly shifting landscape over the last decade. Given the patchwork of state laws regarding medical and recreational marijuana, widely varied approaches for workplace protections, and the total federal ban, it can be difficult for employers to know how to deal with this issue.
Posted by
Russel T. Rendall
Client Alert
DOL Proposes New Rule Regarding Independent Contractor Status - But How Will the Election Affect Its Future?
September 24, 2020
On September 22, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a new proposed rule regarding employee and independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The full text of the proposed rule is available here. The rule's drafters intend to reduce uncertainty and enhance the precision and predictability of the long-standing "economic reality" test, which currently relies on a multifactor balancing test.
Posted by
Russell T. Rendall
Client Alert
Accommodating the Return to Work
May 8, 2020
It has been two months since Ohio declared coronavirus an emergency, and although it is clear things will not be fully back to "normal" anytime soon, the state of Ohio is rolling out the reopening process for businesses with a number of new guidelines and restrictions.
Posted by
Russell T. Rendall
Client Alert
Paid Leave for Coronavirus: Department of Labor Issues Its Temporary FFCRA Rule
April 8, 2020
The Department of Labor issued its Temporary Rules under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) pertaining to the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLEA). The rule became operational on April 1, 2020 and was officially published on April 6, 2020.
Posted by
Russell T. Rendall
Client Alert
FFCRA Update: Implementation Date Accelerated from April 2 to April 1
March 26, 2020
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was signed into law on March 18, 2020, and provides several responses to address the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, including providing for free coronavirus testing, giving a boost to funding for state unemployment compensation (subject to states waiving work search requirements and the waiting week), and leave for employees affected by coronavirus through the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act and the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act. The FFCRA also provides refundable tax credits for employers providing the required paid family and sick leave to employees in connection with this public health emergency.
Posted by
Jeffrey C. Miller and Russell T. Rendall
News Article
Brennan Manna Diamond Welcomes Seven New Attorneys
September 29, 2019
Brennan Manna Diamond (BMD) is pleased to welcome the following attorneys: in our Akron office, Blake R. Gerney, David J. Hrina, Matthew R. Duncan, Hamilton DeSaussure, Jr., Stephen E. Matasich and Paul C. Filon; and in our Cleveland office, Russell T. Rendall.
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