Nationwide Injunction Halts CTA FinCEN Suspends Enforcement The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), enacted as part of the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, has faced significant constitutional challenges, culminating in a nationwide injunction. As a result, the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has suspended enforcement of the CTA’s reporting…
Articles Posted in Chicago Small Business Lawyers
Engagement Ring – Gift or Contract?
Conditional Gifts? A recent decision by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has sparked interest across legal circles. In a case centered around a $70,000 engagement ring, the court ruled that an engagement ring must be returned to the purchaser if the marriage does not take place, regardless of who may…
NOTE TO CHICAGO EMPLOYERS: New Chicago Paid-Leave Law Takes Effect 7.1.24
Chicago Paid Leave Ordinance Employers physically located within the City of Chicago need to be ready as of July 1 to implement the new Chicago Paid Leave and Paid Sick and Safe Leave Ordinance, which stipulates that covered employees can earn up to 40 hours of paid sick leave and…
Real Estate Brokers’ Commissions Upended by Recent Settlement
Antitrust LawsuitNational Association of Realtors Decades-old norms regarding Realtor commissions and other policies surrounding home buying and selling have been swept away by the March 15 court settlement between the National Association of Realtors and groups of homeowners who filed suit against the realtors’ group arguing that home buyers should…
How Does Supreme Court Ruling on ‘Religious Reasons’ Impact Small Businesses?
Supreme Court Ruling on Religious Reasons Small businesses and other employers are likely to find it more difficult to refuse requests for religious accommodations after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in a recent case, Groff v. DeJoy, which concerned a postal worker who unsuccessfully requested to be off-the-clock every Sunday—when…
NLRB Rules Most Employee Non-Competes Unenforceable
Are Non-Competes Really Enforceable? Most non-compete agreements between employers and employees violate the National Labor Relations Act, according to a May 30 memo from Jennifer A. Abruzzo, general counsel for the National Labor Relations Board. Such agreements, which bar employees from taking certain types of positions or running certain types…
State Retirement Plan Expands to Smaller Employers
Bellas & Wachowski – Chicago Business Lawyers Small businesses with 16 to 24 employees that have been operational for at least two years and don’t already offer qualifying retirement plans will, as of November 1, 2023 be subject to the requirements of the Illinois Secure Choice Savings Program Act. Under…
CoronaVirus Pandemic FAQs for Business and Property Owners
Updated December 7 The Chicago area and Illinois business owners are facing a number of challenges and the CoronaVirus pandemic is threatening the continued viability of their business. Here are some of the more frequently questions asked by business owners. Residential Evictions can proceed under certain conditions The moratorium in…
Businesses Should Re-examine Cyber Insurance Coverage due to COVID-19
Cyber Security Insurance UPDATED AUGUST 23, 2020 – A federal judge in Kansas has ruled that three Missouri restaurants can proceed with their claims against Cincinnati Insurance Company alleging that the policies also covered “physical loss,” which the insurers failed to define in the policies. The insurance company’s argument is…
Does Your Cyber Insurance Protect Your Business While Working Remotely?
Cyber Security Issues while working remotely. Does your cyber liability insurance cover data breaches that occur while employees are working at home, using their personal devices such as tablets and laptops? There’s no time like the present to look into this issue, with most employees telecommuting and hackers perhaps sensing…