News & Insights

Effective January 1, 2016, all District of Columbia employers (not including the United States or DC governments) with 20 or more employees were required to provide at least one of three transportation benefit programs.  The first program gives employees a pre-tax fringe benefit— meaning t... Read more >

On June 23, 2015, the Montgomery County Council (Maryland) enacted a new law entitled “Earned Sick and Safe Leave Act” (“ESSLA”), which will take effect on October 1, 2016. Under this new law, every employer with one or more employees in Montgomery County will be required to provide paid ... Read more >

On May 28, 2015, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals (“CSA”) in Len Stoler, Inc. v. Wisner, 223 Md. App. 218 (2015) ruled in favor of a Baltimore area auto dealership on a class action suit.  The case involved a claim that in violation of the Maryland Closed End Credit Grantor Law (�... Read more >

Employers with employees who are authorized to work in the United States as foreign students engaged in post-completion employment (“F1/OPT”), take note: On August 12, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia vacated the 2008 Department of Homeland Security rule authorizing ... Read more >

In a recent case, the Maryland Court of Appeals, Maryland’s highest court, held that an automobile dealer could rely on the terms of its buyer’s order to compel its customer to arbitrate, even if the installment sales contract (i.e. the financing instrument) did not contain its own arbitration p... Read more >

The Maryland General Assembly passed an important bill about spot delivery, the practice in which an auto dealer attempts to arrange credit with a third-party lender for a finance or lease transaction and delivers a vehicle before the lender issues a final approval. The bill, which was signed int... Read more >

There is a high separation and divorce rate among families with a special needs child. The stress level of raising a child with special needs may result in a breakdown of the parents’ relationship and the necessity of a custody or Parenting Plan to address issues relating to their child. T... Read more >

The federal Department of Labor (DOL) has issued updated forms for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) certification.  These updated forms are to be completed by health care providers to certify that the employee, immediate family member, or military member/next of kin has a covered, serious health... Read more >

The Court of Special Appeals of Maryland recently examined a foreclosure trustee’s duties with respect to considering offers to purchase the foreclosure property.   Although the Court reached the correct result under the facts of the case, its discussion of trustee duties came dangerousl... Read more >

On February 25, 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a final rule that amends the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) regulations and provides employees in same-sex marriages and common-law marriages with full FMLA rights and protections if they need leave to care for a spouse with a serious... Read more >