Insights

The Supreme Court ruled earlier this week 5-4 in favor of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. in the case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (formerly named Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby). The case was the strongest legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act since 2012. The case concerned the Department of Health and Human Services...Read More

On June 19, 2014, the Supreme Court of Kentucky decided Creech v. Brown, concluding more than five years of litigation over the enforceability of an employer’s non-compete agreement.  The employer lost, and Kentucky employers wishing to avoid the same fate should consider this decision carefully. Brown worked for Creech for 18 years. Creech is in the...Read More

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]This morning, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Noel Canning (NLRB v. Noel Canning, et al., 573 U.S. ___ (2014)) affirming the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s decision that members of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) were inappropriately appointed by President Obama. In Noel Canning, the NLRB...Read More

Recently, the Southern District of Illinois had occasion to address what are becoming familiar requests for production of parties’ Facebook pages.  See Stallings v. City of Johnston City, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 68566 (S.D. Ill. 2014).  The dispute underscores the importance of making sure you and your attorney understand the types of available evidence on...Read More

U.S. District Judge Richard Young has ruled that Indiana’s ban on gay marriage violates the U.S. Constitution’s equal-protection clause.  This ruling comes on the heels of rulings by Federal Courts across the country similarly striking down state bans on gay marriage.  It is expected that the Supreme Court will soon hear this issue. For more...Read More

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) established a national Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program (“HCFAC”) under the joint direction of the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”). HCFAC coordinates federal, state and local enforcement actions designed to “prevent future abuse” and to...Read More

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The National Labor Relations Board’s deadline to submit briefs in Purple Communications, Inc. is June 16, 2014, signaling the Board’s decision on whether employers must permit employees to use workplace email for purposes of union organization may not be far away. In Register Guard, a decision issued under the Bush administration in 2007, the Board...Read More

With severe weather events becoming more frequent in the Midwest and the barrage of television advertisements for pre-fabricated and national chain storm shelter contractors, homeowners have become more interested in their homes offering protection from the dangers of tornadoes and excessive wind. This makes it more important than ever for builders to have a clear...Read More

Many employers have policies that prohibit employees from using the company email system for purposes that are not work related. In 2007, in a case called Register Guard, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or “the Board”) considered a challenge to such a policy on grounds that such a prohibition amounted to an infringement of the...Read More