Category: COVID-19

On June 5, 2020, President Trump signed the PPP Flexibility Act  into law.  The Act is intended to address some of the flaws in the Payroll Protection Program and subsequent guidelines that were revealed after borrowers attempted to navigate the requirements for use of loan proceeds in order to qualify for loan forgiveness. The PPP Flexibility Act consists of seven changes related to forgiveness, itemized below. PPP borrowers can choose...

Earlier this year laws were passed to provide small businesses and their employees with relief from the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Most seem to be aware that employers receive tax credits for the paid sick and family leave required under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”).  But the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) also provides a tax credit opportunity designed...

On April 23, 2020, following the disclosure that well-heeled companies like Shake Shack, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouses, and the Los Angeles Lakers had applied for, and received, large PPP loans,  the SBA issued guidance providing that any PPP Borrower, and particularly large borrowers, risked being deemed to have filed the required good faith certificate of need in bad faith if they had the ability “to access other sources of liquidity sufficient...

Thank you to everyone who participated in our May 1, 2020 hour-long Zoom Talk, where Garrett Wozniak discussed a variety of issues connected to employers preparing for the reopening and/or reintegration of employees into the workplace.  We have uploaded a recording of the Zoom Talk here so you may review it at your convenience.  Please feel free to reach out to any Kollman & Saucier attorney with...

The EEOC has updated the Return To Work (G.3 & G.5) section of its Q&A Guidance regarding workplace accommodations for individuals deemed high-risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.  The guidance essentially reminds employers to continue to follow normal interactive processes for identifying reasonable accommodations,  and encourages employers to be “creative and flexible” in their approach to identifying such accommodations. Below...

In a sign of litigation to come, one of the first cases alleging pay violations under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) was brought this week in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana. The plaintiff in the case worked for the Kroger grocery chain, and alleges that she was fired after supposedly contracting COVID-19. Regular readers of this blog who have a passing familiarity with the new...

As COVID-19 restrictions are eased or rolled back, there are many practical and legal considerations to take into account as employers reopen and/or reintegrate teleworkers into the workplace.  A one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate -- different variables and actions you have taken thus far will affect the who, what, where, and when regarding how you prepare to, and actually do, return to the workplace and/or expand on-site operations. ...