The New York Department of Labor finally issued Model Safety Plans and Standards for airborne infectious diseases. All employers, regardless of size and with a worksite in New York, must adopt a safety plan by August 5, 2021, and must post, distribute and include the plan in their handbooks to all employees and new hires …
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On July 8, 2021, the New York City Department of Buildings issued Building Bulletin 2021-009 rescinding DOB’s Phase 1 Reopening Guidance and Building Bulletins 2020-006, 2020-010, 2020-015 and 2021-008. A copy of the BB 2021-009 may be found at the following link:  https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/bldgs_bulletins/bb_2021-009.pdf. Each of these Building Bulletins and the Reopening Guidance dealt with procedures …
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Michael Troisi, Brian Bank, Michael Welch, Laura Mulholland, and Michelle Vizzi secured dismissal of a COVID-19 business interruption putative class action on behalf of Badger Mutual Insurance Company. Three insured Las Vegas restaurants sued Badger in federal court (District of Nevada) on behalf of themselves and a putative class of other policyholders seeking coverage for over …
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On March 10, 2021, the American Bar Association released new guidance for attorneys working remotely. While there has never been a distinction in the Model Rules for Professional Conduct between working in a brick-and-mortar office or working remotely, the prevalence of remote work has increased significantly within the last year. Attorneys will likely continue working …
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Wendy was quoted in the New York Metro Super Lawyers magazine article, “What to Do if You Butt Heads with a Loved One’s Nursing Home.” The story covers what people’s options are should a family member take issue with New York’s guidelines on visiting those in skilled nursing facilities during Covid. To read the article, click …
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Michael Troisi was featured in the Best’s Insurance Law podcast, “How COVID-19 is Changing Business Interruption Claims.” Mike discusses how the courts are interpreting the virus exclusion in insurance policies in light of the coronavirus. To listen to the podcast, click here. Share this article: …
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Yesterday, the Biden administration revoked parts of the Trump-era executive orders that had prevented certain foreign nationals from entering the United States due to the coronavirus outbreak. Here’s what you need to know: What’s Changed U.S. consulates can issue an immigrant visa (i.e. a “green card”) to foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States …
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Evan Schieber and Lawrence Han recently delivered a significant victory for the Firm’s client which was seeking the return of its $1 million down payment in a real estate transaction that failed to close. Prior to New York State’s shutdown of non-essential businesses in March 2020, the client had entered into a contract to purchase …
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Alan Rutkin’s article, “2021 Liability Forecast: COVID, Cyber, Opioids, Sex Abuse,” appeared in the February 2021 issue of Best’s Review.  Alan notes that these liability issues will, in turn, create insurance coverage issues. To read the article, click here.     Share this article: …
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Khoren Bandazian will speak at CIANJ’s virtual event, The Impact of the Pandemic on Main Street,” which will take place February 5, 2021, at 8 am. The discussion will focus on how to cope with the exodus of people from the cities to the suburbs, and what that means for small business owners. For more …
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On Monday, January 25, 2021, the New York State Bar Association’s Food, Drug and Cosmetic Law Section will host a panel presentation as part of a larger program called Hot Topics in FDA Law during the COVID Pandemic. The panel, entitled “Advertising During a Pandemic. How Are Regulators Handling the Marketing of Products with Immune …
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The pandemic has prompted the reallocation of hospital beds from psychiatric care to treatment of COVID patients. This has occurred as mental illness has been on the rise. To cope with the insufficient number of psychiatric beds, it is important for hospitals to curtail readmissions. An often-underutilized tool to do so is the assisted outpatient …
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Spending time with family is always important, especially during the holiday season. The holidays are different this year, due to the pandemic, and spending time with loved ones in skilled nursing facilities requires additional planning. In response to recent spikes in Covid-19 cases in skilled nursing facilities, the New York Department of Health in November …
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A business’ risk of suffering a cyber event is often discussed, but not always easy to quantify. Recently, Allianz Global Corporate & Security analyzed its experience with cyber insurance claims over the past several years as a basis for its report, “Managing The Impact of Increasing Interconnectivity: Trends in Cyber Risk.” Its conclusions may help …
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had another, less-discussed effect on hospitals. Hearings that traditionally take place in hospitals – such as guardianships, retention, medication over objection, or assisted outpatient hearings – have shifted to a virtual platform. Below are some considerations for hospital personnel participating in virtual hearings. (1) Familiarize yourself with the technology Due to …
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