Chief Administrative Judge Larry Marks recently issued Administrative Order 270/20 (“AO 270/20”), which, effective February 1, 2021, incorporated certain aspects of the Rules of the Commercial Division into the Uniform Rules for the Supreme and County Courts (“Uniform Rules”).  Attorneys desiring the efficiencies of the Commercial Division, now established in 24 counties across New York

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the New York State Department of Health is now accepting applications from businesses seeking licensure to operate as cannabinoid hemp processors, retailers, or distributors. Cannabinoid hemp includes many CBD products currently available for purchase, including tinctures, vaporizations, oils, topicals, pills, capsules and food and beverages.

Pursuant to Article 33-B of

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

The new Netflix movie, “I Care a Lot,” is truly terrifying. Like many thrillers, this movie begins with a relatable premise and a relatable fear. In this case, it is the fear of dependence and exploitation.

The film builds on those fears until our very worst nightmares are playing out before our eyes.

Unbeknownst to

When discussing the U.S. Supreme Court, commentators spend considerable time reviewing the decisions of the Court to create “lineups” of conservative versus liberal Justices and to speculate which Justices, or group of Justices, are the deciding or so-called “swing” votes. In cases raising constitutional issues involving prominent social issues, legal philosophies can be observed that

Federal District Court Finds That Virus Exclusion Precludes Coverage For COVID-19-Related Losses

A Manhattan law firm sued Midvale Indemnity Company seeking coverage under the firm’s commercial property insurance policy for losses caused by stay-at-home and social distancing directives issued by New York State in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The law firm claimed that the

Sometimes a comprehensive overview is needed to recognize that individual anomalous conduct is indicative of a criminal scheme.

Recently, the Department of Financial Services (DFS) looked at an unusual pattern of interaction with multiple insurance websites and concluded that cybercriminals were exploiting data obtained from those website interactions to commit benefit fraud. Website operators of

On February 4, 2021, New York’s Department of Financial Services (DFS) issued Insurance Circular Letter No. 2, which builds on the robust cybersecurity regulation provided in its 2017 Cybersecurity Regulation (23 NYCRR 500). The Letter discusses the current state of the cyber insurance industry and provides a seven-part Cyber Insurance Risk Framework which may assist

Multiple news outlets have reported that a secret Will of the late broadcast legend, Larry King, has been found. According to the reports, this secret Will is handwritten and states:

10/17/19

This is my Last Will and Testament. It should replace all previous writings in the event of my death, any

Our February insurance update discusses several issues involving first-party and third-party insurance claims.

• The Florida Supreme Court answers a certified question about the type of damages available to first-party litigants in breach of insurance contract cases.
• The Tenth Circuit considers the breadth of an earth movement exclusion and whether damage caused by a rolling

Britney Spears has been making headlines lately, unfortunately not for her music but for her conservatorship.  In 2008 Ms. Spears’ father was appointed conservator for her personal and financial decisions.  In 2019 a professional fiduciary was appointed to take over Mr. Spears role as co-conservator while Mr. Spears dealt with reported health issues.

According to

As businesses in New York and elsewhere begin to enter a second year of partially or fully closed offices and of dealing with a workforce operating remotely, an issue that was top-of-mind for much of 2020 – computer security – should remain a key concern in 2021 and should not be overlooked or ignored.

In

It is time for employers to prepare for the first H-1B lottery under the Biden administration. The following outlines what employers need to know, what changes to expect, and what will remain the same.

• United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will conduct the lottery in its traditional form, with beneficiaries holding a master’s

Here is what we cover in this issue of The Employment Law Reporter:

• The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of an employment discrimination lawsuit.
• A mediation agreement that resolved a plaintiff’s employment discrimination claims was enforceable, according to a federal district court in New York.
• A university

As a candidate running for the office he now holds, President Biden advocated decriminalizing the use of marijuana, automatically expunging all prior marijuana use convictions, legalizing marijuana for medical purposes and rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II in order to permit scientific research into its effects, while leaving decisions regarding legalization of marijuana for