In Butler v. Wolf, Judge Stickman of the Western District of Pennsylvania issued an important ruling on Pennsylvania Governor Wolf’s coronavirus lockdown orders which impacts the Governor’s ability to re-impose some of the more draconian restrictions that he, and governors in New York, New Jersey, and elsewhere, put in place between March and June.» Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the shutdowns of much of the economic activity in the United States by mid-March 2020. Although there were and remain some variances among the several states, in general, businesses were shut, buildings were almost empty, and factories and warehouses (except for Amazon, according to media reports) were still.» Read More
On March 29, 2020, as part of a massive response to the economic distress inflicted upon businesses and working people in the United States due to the “shutdown” of the economy as part of the efforts to contain the impact of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”), Congress passed and the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”).» Read More
Although brief in length, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act (the “Act”) that was signed into law by President Trump on June 5, 2020, clarifies how borrowers can use Payment Protection Program (“PPP”) loans made pursuant to the CARES Act and grants borrowers much-needed flexibility in the requirements for PPP forgiveness.» Read More
This new normal, what will it look like in a few days, weeks, or months? Yes, some may physically be back at the office or having in-person meetings again, while others may be forever changing how they do business. The common factor between those returning physically to a pre-COVID existence, and those setting a new path for themselves will be a realization that our reliance on any outsourced service provider before the outbreak was nothing compared to what it will be moving forward.» Read More
In 1976, as our country was celebrating its Bicentennial, the American Legion was fittingly hosting its convention in Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation. Tragically, many Legion convention attendees were sickened and some later died after contracting a mysterious respiratory ailment.» Read More
Time to learn from the past. If COVID-19 taught us anything, it is that businesses need to be ready with alternative sources of supply and distribution. Yes, we can focus on what we discussed in our previous article, “The Pandemic Effect: Sale of a Business,” like force majeure, impossibility of performance, and frustration of purpose, but it is better (and healthier) to prepare your business as though this will happen again, because experts say it will.» Read More
For those who have been following the latest with the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, it was a busy end to last week! We’ve previously issued an analysis of the CARES Act of 2020 through our “Inside the CARES Act” series on the Norris McLaughlin Biz Law Blog, but this past week saw the passage of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (Paycheck II), as well as updated FAQs from the Treasury Department and additional guidance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) in another Interim Final Rule issued on Friday, April 24.» Read More
The days of physical closings for complex business transactions with everyone on both sides of the transaction gathered in a single conference room in front of stacks of documents feverishly signing multiple copies (and inevitably overlooking something) seem like ancient history now.» Read More