On August 13, 2021, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published its updated COVID-19 guidance to account for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) July 27, 2021, guideline change. The CDC change recommends that fully-vaccinated people mask in all “public indoor settings” in areas of high and substantial COVID-19 transmission. But that change […]

Ms. Spainhour is a Member of Davis Hartman Wright PLLC based in the firm’s Asheville office, NC and has been practicing labor & employment law on behalf of employers throughout North Carolina for over 17 years. She is the Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment practice group and a member of the firm’s Litigation […]

On Thursday April 16, 2020, President Trump unveiled his “Guidelines for Opening Up America Again” (the “Guidelines”). The Guidelines are designed to help state and local officials reopen their economies, get people back to work, and provide some initial topics for employers to consider prior to reopening. Masuda Funai is publishing a series of articles addressing […]

Brian S. Cousin focuses on employment litigation and counseling, ERISA and benefits litigation, executive contract negotiations, complex commercial litigation, and international arbitration. He is head of the Firm’s International Employment Practice Group and co-head of the Firm’s ERISA and benefits litigation practice. Brian has more than 30 years of experience handling class action and complex […]

Amy D. Christensen is a leading Montana employment lawyer and the managing partner of Christensen & Prezeau, PLLP. She has over twenty years of experience litigating cases in state and federal court involving employment matters, health care, and professional liability. She has also appeared on behalf of clients before numerous administrative agencies involving matters such […]

Many plan administrators and participants have struggled with how to satisfy certain qualified plan spousal consent rules while social distancing guidelines have been in effect. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provided much-needed relief on that topic in Notice 2020-42, published on June 3, 2020 (the Notice). By way of background, IRS regulations require that in the case […]