On March 14, 2025, the Fourth Court of Appeals lifted the nationwide preliminary injunction issued on February 20, 2025 by a federal judge in Baltimore that temporarily halted the implementation of two of President Trump's...more
The Virginia Legislature enacted amendments to its existing Non-Compete Act (the “Act”) on March 24. The amendments will broaden the categories of employees who cannot be subject to non-competition covenants by including any...more
Following the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed non-compete ban being overturned last year, certain state legislatures remain focused on limiting restrictions on employees. Recently, New Jersey and New York lawmakers each...more
On February 20, 2024, a Federal District Court in Baltimore preliminarily stopped the Trump DEI Executive Orders from going into effect until further legal proceedings occur. This abrupt halt of the Executive Orders will...more
Employers may now have an easier time establishing that employees are properly classified as exempt, in light of a recent unanimous ruling from the United States Supreme Court. In E.M.D. Sales, Inc., et al. v. Carrera et...more
While California whistleblowers have long received protection under California law, effective January 1, 2025, California employers have new notice requirements. California employers must ensure their posting is up-to-date...more
Texas federal judge Sean D. Jordan recently blocked a new U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Rule that would have allowed certain workers making less than $58,656 per year to automatically become eligible for overtime premium pay...more
n July 31, 2024, Massachusetts enacted a new law entitled An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency, which requires employers disclose a pay range in job postings and advertisements. The law is slated to become...more
In a highly anticipated ruling yesterday, the Northern District of Texas issued a final order, which enjoined and set aside the FTC’s Noncompete ban (the “Rule”). See Ryan, LLC v. FTC, No. 3:24-cv-00986-E (N.D. Tex. 2024)....more
8/21/2024
/ Arbitrary and Capricious ,
Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Statutory Authority
With prior articles published in April and May, Nelson Mullins has been tracking the FTC Noncompete Final Rule banning non-competition provisions (the “Rule”) for months. The Rule remains on track to take effect on September...more
On Friday morning, the Supreme Court in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, No. 22-451, reversed its long-standing precedent in Chevron USA, Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council (1984), which required courts reviewing...more
7/1/2024
/ Chevron Deference ,
Chevron v NRDC ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Government Agencies ,
Judicial Authority ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
SCOTUS ,
Statutory Interpretation
Earlier this year, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases that may overturn Chevron USA, Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, which would have implications for federal agencies rule- and decision-making...more
Please join Nelson Mullins for a virtual webinar on the FTC Rules on non-competes....more
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced on April 23 a final rule, Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees, which will take effect on July...more
6/5/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Salary ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Salaried Employees ,
Unpaid Overtime ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new guidance (Guidance) on April 29, 2024 regarding workplace harassment and its violation of federal law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age...more
On April 15, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued its Final Rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The Final Rule will go into effect on June 18, 2024, nearly a year after the...more
5/14/2024
/ Employee Rights ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Labor Reform ,
Pregnancy ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Reasonable Accommodation
The below summary of frequently asked questions for employers concerning the Federal Trade Commission’s new rule governing non-competes (the “Rule”) is for general information purposes only. The below is not intended to and...more
5/13/2024
/ Competition ,
Confidential Information ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Final Rules ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Reform ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Restrictive Covenants
The Noncompete Rule -
On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), issued a Final Rule banning all noncompete agreements for any worker in the United States, regardless of industry, title, job function, or...more
New York has become the first state in the nation to mandate paid prenatal leave for pregnant employees. Governor Kathy Hochul signed new legislation on April 22, 2024, to expand the New York Paid Family Leave Law (“NY PFL”)...more
A Department of Labor (DOL) proposed rule increasing the minimum salary threshold for exempt employees is projected to change the exempt status of approximately 3.4 million employees and go into effect as early as June 2024....more
3/6/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Highly Compensated Employees ,
Labor Reform ,
Minimum Salary ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Over-Time ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Salaried Employees ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a new rule redefining how workers are classified under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The final rule, which will make it more challenging to classify workers as...more
1/17/2024
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Realities Test ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Final Rules ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
Misclassification ,
Over-Time ,
Wage and Hour
On August 9, 2023, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (“EEOC”) new Commissioner, Kalpana Kotagal, was sworn in, likely bringing more employee-friendly policies with her into the role. In the past month, the EEOC...more
9/7/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Bias ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Labor Reform ,
Machine Learning ,
Pay Data ,
Pregnancy ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Race Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Settlement
On June 30, 2023, the United States Supreme Court ended its October 2022 term. Many of the Court’s decisions from this past term are likely to impact employers of all sizes. Accordingly, this post is the first in a limited...more
7/13/2023
/ Civil Rights Act ,
De Minimus Doctrine ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Groff v DeJoy ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
SCOTUS ,
Substantial Burden ,
Title VII ,
Undue Hardship ,
USPS
On June 20, 2023, the New York Senate sent bill S.3100A/A.1278B to the desk of Governor Kathy Hochul to prohibit non-competition agreements broadly throughout New York State. This bill, if signed into law, will take effect...more
6/27/2023
/ Confidential Information ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Labor Reform ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New York ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
State Labor Laws
On May 30, 2023, NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo issued Memorandum GC 23-08 (the “Memorandum”) outlining her position that the “proffer, maintenance, and enforcement” of non-competition provisions in employment...more