Informed Consent! What Is It Good For? Absolutely Nothing. Say It Again.
8/4/17
By: Shaun Daugherty
Ok. That may be a bit extreme. After all, it is in the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics and the concept is addressed in most medical professional organizations guidelines in one form or another. …
Are We Seeing An Expansion of Whistleblower Litigation?
8/2/17
By: Mark C. Stephenson
Whistleblower recoveries are on the rise in regulatory and judicial proceedings. On the regulatory front, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Whistleblower Program was launched in 2011 and had jurisdiction over claims made under the …
Governor Deal Signs House Bill 146 Firefighter Cancer Insurance Coverage
7/14/17
By: Pamela F. Everett
On May 4, 2017, Governor Deal signed House Bill 146 to amend Georgia Code Section 25-3-23 to provide cancer insurance coverage to fire fighters. This Bill, which becomes effective January 1, 2018, requires that all Georgia …
Supreme Court Disapproves “Provocation Rule”
6/5/17
By: E. Charles Reed, Jr. & Edwin A. Treese
The Supreme Court held in Graham v. Connor that an officer making an arrest may only be held liable for the use of force which is objectively unreasonable in light of …
Is North Carolina Poised to Create New Jobs and Revenue by Modifying Blue Laws?
6/2/17
By: Paul H. Derrick
Many businesses in North Carolina’s hospitality industry are one step closer to achieving a long-sought goal. The state senate has approved a measure, the so-called “brunch bill,” that would allow cities and counties to decide whether …
Federal Government Announces Changes to its Green Cards
4/19/17
By: Layli Eskandari Deal
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced a redesign to the Permanent Resident Card (“Green Card”) and the Employment Authorization Document (“EAD”) as part of the Next Generation Secure Identification Document Project. USCIS will begin issuing …
Anti-Indemnification Bills and Their Effect on the Snow and Ice Management Industry
3/28/17
By: Courtney Mazzio
Recently, there has been a movement in the snow and ice management industry to reduce the ability of contracting parties to transfer risk in the service contracts through indemnification clauses. To that end, there are anti-indemnification bills …
Timing of Failure to Accommodate Religious Belief Allows Bias Claim to Go Forward
3/27/17
By: Paul H. Derrick
It will be for a jury to decide whether a North Carolina caterer acted unlawfully when it told a newly-hired delivery driver to remove his religious head covering, then terminated him the very next day. In …
Eleventh Circuit Says No Title VII Protection for Sexual Orientation Discrimination
3/17/17
By: Amanda Hall
A split three judge panel from the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that there is no Title VII protection for sexual orientation discrimination. In Evans v. Georgia Regional Hosp. et al., Eleventh Circuit Judges William …
Facing the Behemoth: Trump, Gorsuch, and the House’s Attacks on Agency Power
2/21/17
By: Christopher M. Curci
The total number of pages in the Code of Federal Regulations has grown from approximately 110,000 in 1984 to a near staggering 180,000 pages today. This growth can be attributed in large part to the Supreme …
Breaking News – Puzder Withdraws from Consideration to be Secretary of Labor
2/15/17
By: Paul H. Derrick
Andy Puzder, President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor, has withdrawn his name from consideration after being plagued by criticism since his nomination. Union leaders and prominent Democrats have been among his staunchest critics. Puzder’s decision …
Georgia Utility Update – January 2017
1/6/17
By Robert B. Baker
PSC Approves Billions in Vogtle Expenditures and Cost Overruns With No Review
On December 20, 2016, the Georgia Public Service Commission unanimously approved the Stipulation between the PSC Staff and Georgia Power Company that increases the …