Coronavirus: Law360 Tue June 23 Briefing
From Media & Entertainment Law360
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
TOP NEWS
Telework Still Reigns As NYC Firms Cleared To Reopen Offices
New York City kicked off the second phase of its reopening plan Monday, freeing many companies to bring employees back into the office, but some law firms say ongoing coronavirus concerns are holding them back.
Coronavirus: How Law Firms Are Handling The Downturn
UPDATED June 18, 2020, 11:53 AM EDT | The spreading coronavirus pandemic has upended the legal industry, forcing firms to cut salaries, lay off attorneys and make changes to summer associate programs. Here is a roundup of how law firms are responding.
FDA Says To Avoid 9 Potentially Harmful Hand Sanitizers
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is cautioning consumers to avoid nine hand sanitizer products manufactured in Mexico that may contain methanol, or wood alcohol, which could be toxic if absorbed through the skin or ingested.
Philly Courts Unveil Plan To Ease COVID-19 Burden On Cos.
The Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia is creating a “Temporary Financial Monitor” program to help local businesses hobbled by the COVID-19 pandemic stave off creditors and get back on their feet, the court announced Monday.
CLOSINGS AND RESTRICTIONS
Coronavirus: The Latest Court Closures And Restrictions
UPDATED June 23, 2020, 1:44 PM EDT | As courts across the country take measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, some are restricting access and altering their procedures. Here is a roundup of changes.
Coronavirus: The Latest EU Court Closures And Restrictions
UPDATED June 23, 2020, 11:15 AM GMT | As courts across the region take measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, some are restricting access and altering their procedures. Here is a roundup of changes.
NY Housing Court Slowly Reopens To Protests, Frustration
Hundreds of New York tenants and their advocates rallied outside of largely empty housing courts on Monday, demanding Gov. Andrew Cuomo extend a moratorium on evictions as the state welcomed new cases for the first time since mid-March.
WHAT IT MEANS FOR ATTORNEYS
Immigrants’ US Children Have Standing To Sue Over Virus Aid
A Maryland federal court can consider a suit alleging that the U.S. citizen children of unauthorized immigrant parents have been improperly denied coronavirus relief payments, the court said in rejecting the government’s motion to dismiss.
Man Tried to Defraud Virus Pay Program Of $13.5M, DOJ Says
A Massachusetts man whose employees are based in India was charged with wire fraud in Boston federal court Monday for allegedly filing bogus loan applications for $13.5 million — and collecting $2 million — from the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
Ponzi Schemer Can’t Get Out Of Prison Over COVID-19 Risk
An ex-investment manager convicted of running a Ponzi scheme and stealing millions lost his bid to get out of prison due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a New Jersey federal judge on Monday finding that the circumstances of his crimes were “particularly serious and involved a high level of deception.”
Penn National Says COVID-19 Closures Don’t Merit Coverage
Penn National Insurance told a Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday that absence of physical damage to businesses forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the insurer was not obligated to provide coverage for the resulting financial hit.
Pa. Restaurant Says Server Defamed It Over COVID-19 Pay
A bar and restaurant outside Pittsburgh has sued a former server for defamation in Pennsylvania state court, claiming she wrongly blasted the company on Facebook over a clerical error in her pandemic-related pay change that she mistook for fraud.
Valentino Looks To Exit Fifth Ave. Lease Over Virus Disruption
Italian fashion brand Valentino on Sunday sued its Fifth Avenue landlord, telling a New York state court that it has been blocked from moving out of the Manhattan space even though the lease has been rendered void by the COVID-19-spurred shutdown.
EXPERT ANALYSIS
For Distressed M&A, An Alternative To Section 363 Sales
As the current wave of pandemic-induced business bankruptcies will likely increase distressed M&A activity, buyers and sellers should strongly consider an assignment for the benefit of creditors, which may be a more efficient, cost-effective and flexible business liquidation device than the more common Section 363 sale, says Jason Taketa at Manatt.
How COVID-19 May Influence SEC’s Enforcement Analysis
COVID-19 presents a number of unique issues for the economic and statistical analyses the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission uses to investigate and prove securities violations, which will become increasingly imperative in its pandemic-related enforcement, say Charles Riely and Grace Signorelli-Cassady at Jenner & Block and Scott Walster at Global Economics Group.
