Contractors will soon find themselves on the frontline of wage disputes on projects if laborers working on behalf of their subcontractors or vendors are unpaid.  On October 14, 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law AB 1701, which will allow laborers to seek direct compensation from the general contractors on private projects, if their wages remain unpaid. The legislative mandate [...] Read More

On May 4, 2017, Mayor Bill DiBlasio signed a bill amending the New York City Human Rights Law to prohibit New York City employers from inquiring into a prospective employee's salary history during the hiring process or relying on the salary history of an applicant in determining salary, benefits or other compensation for such applicant during the hiring process, including [...] Read More

The New York State Department of Labor (NYDOL) recently modified the Minimum Wage Order for Miscellaneous Industries and Occupations – effective October 6, 2017 – to eliminate any doubt about its long-standing guidance that home care workers who work 24-hour shifts are not required to be paid the minimum wage for meal periods and sleep time under New York Labor [...] Read More

Two recent decisions from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and the United States Court of Federal Claims highlight that sureties and bond producers are not immune to the potentially severe consequences of the False Claims Act (“FCA”) and related federal fraud statutes.  In each case, the Court determined that sureties and bond producers can face [...] Read More

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, consumers and contractors should be aware of protections prescribed by the Texas Legislature for Disaster Remediation Contracts.  Chapter 58 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code includes several important consumer protections.  Consumers should be aware of these protections, and contractors should take care to avoid inadvertent violations. This statute applies to a contractor engaged [...] Read More