Legal News

With the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) set to take effect on January 1, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed amendments in October 2019 providing businesses some temporary shelter from the CCPA provisions with respect to...By: Perkins Coie

Beginning in January 2020, Washington employees can start using new benefits under the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (PFML). Employees and employers have paid the required premiums on the new paid leave benefits for all of 2019, but the benefits...By: Perkins Coie

The Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations on September 19, 2019, easing the 401(k) hardship distribution rules. The final regulations are substantially similar to the proposed regulations issued late last year, and plans that complied...By: Perkins Coie

Thirty-five years after deciding that arbitration clauses in employee benefit plans governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) were unenforceable, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has reversed itself by...By: Perkins Coie

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a major set of restrictions on the actions California cities and counties may take to impede housing development. Senate Bill 330 broadly aims to prevent local agencies from putting up new barriers...By: Perkins Coie

Stock Market Commentary - Trade and interest rates continued to be the headline market movers for the third quarter. In late July, as expected, the Fed cut rates a quarter percent and recommitted to "act as appropriate" to sustain what is now the...By: Perkins Coie

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its long-awaited rule changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) overtime requirements on September 24, 2019. Employers who have been operating under the existing 2004 rules have only a few short months...By: Perkins Coie

On September 5, 2019, the Washington Supreme Court held that non-agricultural employees do not have to be paid a separate hourly rate for time spent on non-piece-rate activities. Further, workweek averaging, as described in WAC 296-126-021, is a...By: Perkins Coie

Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed into law legislation in April 2019 that requires school districts to allow parents and guardians to administer to their child marijuana-infused medications on school grounds, in school vehicles and at...By: Perkins Coie

The location exception to CEQA’s categorical exemptions does not apply to earthquake and landslide hazard zones, as they are not “environmental resources” that would be affected by a project. Berkeley Hills Watershed Coalition v. City of Berkeley, 31...By: Perkins Coie