While the Trump Administration has effectively blocked the Obama Administration's plan to increase the salary standard for exempt status, its next moves are far from clear. In Nevada v. Dep't of Labor, C.A. No. 4:16-CV-731-ALM (E.D. Tex 2017 Aug. 31, 2017), the United...
PLDO Law Blog
Employment Law
IS MORBID OBESITY A “DISABILITY” UNDER THE ADA?
The answer to the question of whether morbid obesity is a disability continues to be: "sometimes." Because a Chicago Transit Authority bus driver who weighed over 500 pounds offered no evidence of any underlying physiological disorder or condition that caused his...
Password Sharing May Be A Crime
Amid the flurry of recent news about computer hacking and data breaches, a recent lawsuit quietly wound its way up to the steps of the United States Supreme Court. In that case, a former employee left his employer to open a competing business. After he left, he asked...
WORKER’S REQUEST FOR MULTI-MONTH ADA LEAVE AFTER FMLA LEAVE LAWFULLY DENIED
A vexing problem for employers is the period of time it must allow for leave. A very recent decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit demonstrates that courts and administrative agencies continue to disagree regarding an employer's...
ATTENTION SNOWBIRDS: DO YOU PASS THE DOMICILE TEST?
“A person doesn't know how much he has to be thankful for until he has to pay taxes on it.” This anonymous quote is timely. It is rumored that the Rhode Island Division of Taxation (“the Division”) is reviewing its procedures for determining whether a Rhode Islander...
HOW CLOSELY HELD BUSINESSES CAN PREVENT MANAGEMENT DEADLOCKS
Differences in opinion on how to achieve a stated goal in a closely held business can lead to disputes that block the enterprise from moving forward. Closely held businesses are characterized by a limited number of shareholders and a lack of public trading. The...
WHY ESTATE PLANNING FOR BUSINESSES IS CRITICAL (NOT OPTIONAL)
Owning your own business can be extremely demanding. From your customers to your employees, there’s hardly enough time in the day. While most entrepreneurs are consumed by the day-to-day challenges of running their businesses, they often neglect the critical task of...
PAY EQUITY IN RHODE ISLAND: EMPLOYERS, ARE YOU IN COMPLIANCE?
Rhode Island’s Pay Equity Act was expanded in 2023, creating additional obligations for employers with employees located in, or working from, the state. Once only prohibiting differences in wages based on gender, Rhode Island’s Pay Equity Act prohibits differences in...
ESTATE PLANNING FOR THE BUSINESS. HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE DEATH OF A BUSINESS OWNER
In the final season of “Succession,” Logan Roy’s death creates a power vacuum within Waystar Royco, the fictional media conglomerate that Logan founded and acted as CEO of until his death. This raises a difficult question that many, if not all, business owners face:...
