Like many lawyers with expertise in insurance coverage, I was immediately contacted after the pandemic hit by business owners – often restaurant and bar owners – about seeking business interruption coverage under their insurance policies. My usual conclusion was that you could at least submit a claim and see what happens, but that, unless you had particularly deep pockets and/or large losses, I didn’t suggest bringing suit. My advice was based on two points: first, that recovering insurance benefits under … Read the rest
It’s the end of the year.
Which means, for the foreseeable future, employers need to be mindful of the automatic increase to the state’s minimum wage which goes into effect on January 1, 2025.
Currently, the rate is $ 15.69. However, it goes up to $ 16.35 on Wednesday.
Why?
Connecticut’s minimum wage law, which connects the state minimum wage to changes in the federal employment cost index (ECI), was originally passed in 2019 when inflation wasn’t of major concern.… Read the rest
The title of this post is the title of this new paper authored by Hope Martinez and first published earlier this month by Social Science Quarterly. Here is its abstract:
… Read the restObjective
This article examines whether incarceration influences a change in political beliefs for those incarcerated and the extent to which it affects more vulnerable groups, including women and people of color.
Method
I use a series of logit models to analyze responses to the Marshall Project’s 2020 prison survey.
On the evening of December 23, 2024, FINCEN posted the following notice on its website extending CTA filing deadlines from December 31, 2024, to January 13, 2025 and extending other filing deadlines as set forth below:
“In light of a December 23, 2024, federal Court of Appeals decision, reporting companies, except as indicated below, are once again required to file beneficial ownership information with FinCEN. However, because the Department of the Treasury recognizes that reporting companies may need additional … Read the rest
You can hit your snooze button a little later on Tuesdays. Effective January 1, 2025, the Court of Appeals’ scheduled filing days for opinions will be the first and third Wednesday of the month, Since the Court will be issuing a big batch of opinions on New Year’s Eve (and no one wants to read opinions on New Year’s Day), January 15 will be January 2025’s only opinion release date. The rest of the year will follow the new schedule.… Read the rest
On December 11, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) published a Special Fraud Alert warning against suspect payment arrangements involving the Medicare Advantage (“MA”) program which could implicate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”), the False Claims Act (“FCA”), and other health care fraud and abuse laws. These suspect payment schemes can improperly steer Medicare enrollees to specific MA plans or health care providers based upon financial incentives rather than the enrollees’ needs.
OIG … Read the rest
And, undercooked burgers.
Minnesota health officials are urging people to contact their health care provider if they ate a hamburger, especially if undercooked, at a table-service restaurant since Oct. 31 and then developed diarrhea, particularly bloody diarrhea, in the following week.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has identified at least 10 cases of E. coli O157:H7 infection in people who had eaten burgers at multiple locations of Red Cow, a table-service restaurant chain with locations in Hennepin, Ramsey … Read the rest
County officials in California are urging the public to not consume unpasteurized, raw milk because it may have caused a bird flu infection in a child.
Marin County Public Health is reporting a suspected case of bird flu in a child who experienced fever and vomiting after drinking raw milk. The child has recovered, and no other family members became sick, indicating no person-to- person transmission, according to the health department.
There have been 32 confirmed cases of bird flu … Read the rest