As companies reopen, a primary concern is liability for workers or customers who may claim to have been exposed to COVID-19 in their business. This may arise as a workers’ compensation claim, a claim for negligent sanitation or failure to implement or enforce social distancing measures. Read more about these evolving pandemic-related issues.

Several states require employers to reimburse employees for expenses incurred on the job. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, several class action law suits have already been filed seeking to recover costs related to personal protective equipment (PPE) workers have purchased for use while on the job. Read more about what transportation companies operating in states with reimbursement statutes should do to ensure compliance.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), although credited with helping the economy stay afloat and keeping workers employed, has not been a model of clarity. A constant drip of new rules and guidance, leaves many questions unanswered. Read the latest.

The U.S. Department of Labor has been active through a tumultuous first half of 2020. While the Department’s response to the COVID-19 crisis has garnered most of the attention, there have been important developments in other areas. Read more related to employment perks and benefits, and determining joint employment, the Final Rule updating the Retail and Service Worker Exemption.

The Supreme Court’s holding in New Prime has not been the death knell for the transportation industry’s efforts to enforce arbitration agreements under the FAA. Instead, the fight has moved to another element of the exemption, namely, whether the individual belongs to a class of workers engaged in interstate commerce. Read more about the First Circuit's ruling, unsettled questions on this topic, and the potential for transportation arbitration cases to appear on the Supreme Court's docket in the future.

When COVID-19 struck, shippers, brokers, and carriers had to stay focused on the immediate challenges of the pandemic. However, as we settle into the current “new normal”, cargo claims are back on everyone’s radar. Read more about expecting the unexpected to minimize your exposure to cargo claims, customer bankruptcies, and other collection issues.

Partner Chris Eckhart has passed the California Bar. Learn more about Chris and his work in Scopelitis' Class Action Practice.