Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. Under the OSH Act, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Although OSHA indicated …
The Georgia Supreme Court just gave defendants in Georgia a big victory as related to rulings on Default for untimely answer. The former rule put a very heavy burden on the defendant which was quite difficult to overcome. The new rule makes the burden much less onerous, thereby affording a defendant a …
Georgia legislators have introduced a bill, HB 1121, that provides for a new, state-level cause of action for sexual harassment against individual co-workers or supervisors and allows for the recovery of lost wages, benefits, compensatory damages, reasonable attorney’s fees, court costs and “other related expenses.” The bill has passed the Tort …
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, many employers may be finding themselves in novel situations with regard to laying off employees, requests for leave, and requests for accommodations, among many other topics. We have compiled some of the guidance from various government entities and some overall considerations for employers …
On January 1, the U.S. Department of Labor’s new mandatory overtime rule went into effect, expanding overtime pay eligibility to up to 1.3 million workers. The new rule raises the salary threshold necessary to exempt executive, administrative, or professional employees from the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime pay requirements to $35,568. Under the …
With the 2018 mid-term elections in the books, Georgia litigators have two primary takeaways that may affect their practices going forward. First, while Georgia remained a primarily Republican state, there was a noticeable “blue wave” that represents a shift from 2014 and 2016. These outcomes were particularly apparent in North …