Features
Tri-Parenting: Three's Company or Three's a Crowd?
<b><I>Part One of a Two-Part Article</I></b><p>Laws pertaining to legal parentage have changed frequently in recent years as states have attempted to keep pace with the evolving configurations of modern-day families. Major contributors to this process have expanded our definitions of family and parenthood. Still, what about the related issue of <I>how many</I> recognized parents a child can have?
Features
The Rise of the Travel Act
The DOJ continues to prioritize health care anti-fraud enforcement through the aggressive use of different statutes and investigative methods. Now, the government is putting a 60-year-old tool to a new use: It is using the federal Travel Act to pursue criminal charges against health care entities in connection with health care bribery/kickback schemes. This article discusses these recent actions and the potential ramifications of the expansion of the scope of the Travel Act.
Features
Increased Scrutiny for <I>Cy Pres</I> Provisions in Class Action Settlements
Despite the popularity of utilizing the <I>cy pres</I> doctrine and its benefits, courts are reviewing class-action settlement agreements that provide for <I>cy pres</I> payments with increased scrutiny.
Features
<b><I>AE Liquidation</I></b>: WARN Act Comfort for Debtors Attempting a 363 Sale, or Just the 'Putin Exception'?
In <I>In re AE Liquidation</I>, the Third Circuit held that a WARN Act notice only must be given when mass layoffs are probable, not when merely foreseeable. As a result, a debtor that was attempting to effectuate a going concern sale under Bankruptcy Code Section 363 was not liable for failing to give a WARN Act notice until the day it determined it could no longer wait for approvals from the buyer to close.
Features
The Ever-Changing State of State and Local Taxes
For tax professionals, particularly those who specialize in the area of state and local taxes, nexus is a topic that is discussed all too often. Nexus rules have lagged behind the ever-changing economic landscape, but states are beginning to catch up. Nonetheless, the nexus rules are very important for professional services firms such as law firms.
Features
Tactical Considerations for Patent Owner Responses in IPRs
U.S. Patent Office statistics show that the PTAB has found at least one claim of a challenged patent to be unpatentable in over 80% of IPRs. Given these odds, and the fact that institution of an IPR is not appealable, a patent owner's best shot at preserving its patent rights intact is to defeat institution of the IPR trial in the first instance.
Features
<b><I>Competitive Intelligence:</I></b> What Does CI Mean in Law Firms?
Competitive intelligence in law firms can mean very different things, depending on the context, size and type of law firm (national vs. global), and so forth. Here's why it's so important.
Features
Website Accessibility: The Law and Your Business Priorities
The first step to solving a problem is knowing it exists. But many businesses have never thought to ask whether their customer-facing websites are accessible to people with disabilities, and only become aware of the issue when they are sent a demand letter or served with a lawsuit alleging that their site violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Features
Opt-Out Incentives: The Ins and Outs
As annual open enrollment season approaches, many employers may be evaluating ways in which to control rising health plan costs. One strategy frequently considered is a financial incentive for employees to waive or opt out of the employer-sponsored group health coverage.
Features
Third Circuit Defines 'Received' for Section 503(B)(9) Claims
In <I>Haining Wansheng Sofa Co., Ltd. v. World Imports, Ltd. (In re World Imports, Ltd.</I>), the Third Circuit firmly declared that "received" in Section 503(b)(9) connotes actual physical custody of the goods by the debtor. This turnabout in the interpretation of the meaning of "received" is a significant development, given that such claims frequently arise in business bankruptcies.
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