Legal Alerts

As we look forward to a widely available COVID-19 vaccine (and a potential return to normalcy), employers may be considering mandating that their employees get vaccinated.  However, there are important Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), Title VII, and Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act (“GINA”) implications that employers must consider.

On December 15, Governor Cuomo signed an amendment to New York’s power of attorney law (General Obligations Law Article 5, Title 15) that will make the power of attorney form simpler and easier to correctly execute. 

Insurance Coverage Attorney Ryan P. Maxwell was featured in a profile from Business First on December 17, 2020, speaking about business interruption cases stemming from COVID-19 and his career experience. 

Alexis M. Florczak has joined Hurwitz & Fine, P.C. as an associate in the Business Law and Economic Development practice groups.

With the prevalence of COVID-related layoffs and reductions in force this year, employers may have recently brushed up on their obligations under the New York State Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“NYS WARN Act”).  However, employers should be aware that the state recently expanded employers’ notice obligations under the WARN Act.

Labor & Employment Attorney Joseph S. Brown spoke with Buffalo Business First on December 2, 2020 about fines businesses could face if they violate New York-mandated COVID-19 restrictions.

Attorney Cara Cox was featured in the American Bar Association's Pretrial Practice & Discovery Committee's Practice Points for her article "Working with Foreign-Language Documents in Depositions and Trials."

With Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently stating that portions of Erie County were on track to go into the Red Zone, it is important to assess whether your business is considered “essential” under guidance issued by Empire State Development Corporation (ESD).  This alert provides a brief overview of the Cluster Action initiative and how to determine if a business is considered essential in the Red Zone. 

Hurwitz & Fine President/Managing Partner Jody E. Briandi was published in U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms 2021" for her thought leadership piece on crisis management and transition during a pandemic.

Earlier this week, Governor Cuomo signed S.52A/A.5991A into law, which expands protections against SLAPP lawsuits.

Hurwitz & Fine, P.C. is proud to be ranked as a Tier One law firm for 2021 in eight practice areas by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®. 

This article discusses the highlights of the new guidance and identifies areas where employers must still tread carefully as further clarification has not been provided.

On October 31st, NY Governor Cuomo announced the state would be scrapping the Travel Advisory List in favor of a testing-based approach that now allows a traveler to “test out” of the mandatory 14-day quarantine. 

Hurwitz & Fine attorneys Lee S. Siegel and Ryan P. Maxwell were featured in the DRI In-House Defense Quarterly Fall 2020 publication for their article, "A One-Two Punch: Michigan State Court Renders First Substantive COVID-19 Decision and It's Big News for Carriers."

Did your company adopt a COVID-19 leave policy after passage of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)?  If so, now is a good time to revisit those policies after the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) revised its FFCRA regulations last month in response to a recent court decision.

Included in the annual state budget is an amendment to the New York State Election Law concerning employee voting leave, which employers should be aware of.  The new voting leave law is effective immediately.

Hurwitz & Fine attorneys recognized on this list include Jody E. Briandi, Dan D. Kohane, Ann E. Evanko, Michael F. Perley, Andrea Schillaci, and Kevin J. Zanner.

Hurwitz & Fine attorneys Dan D. Kohane and Diane L. Bucci partnered with Sherri Pavloff of Stonberg Moran, LLP for the article "Mighty Changes for Declaratory Judgment," which was featured in NYIA's Third Quarter 2020 edition of Your NY Connection magazine.

Hurwitz & Fine was featured as a guest contributor to Step Out Buffalo Business's Business Blog on September 29, 2020.

Insurance Coverage Attorney Ryan P. Maxwell was quoted in the September 22, 2020 edition of Carrier Management.