Mediation in Light of COVID-19

Without question, COVID-19 has changed the way lawyers practice law and businesses resolve disputes. Whether that change will be temporary or permanent is yet to be seen. At the present time, many courts in California are closed or offer severely limited access and have restricted the ability to file all but the most time-sensitive matters,…

New Coronavirus Presumption Likely to Increase Premium Costs for Employers

Yesterday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order creating a rebuttable presumption that a California employee who contracts COVID-19 contracted it in the course of their employment.  This would entitle the employee to workers’ compensation benefits, unless the employer successfully proved they did not contract it at work.  In a normal workers’ compensation claim, the…

WARN Act and COVID-19

In these uncertain times, businesses are being forced to consider drastic measures to weather the current economic crisis, including potential reductions in the workforce.  However, businesses need to be aware of their obligations under both the federal and California Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act prior to implementing any mass layoff, relocation, or termination…

The WCIRB’s Proposed Rules to Reduce Premium Costs Move Forward

On April 17, we sent you an email alert about the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau’s (“WCIRB”) proposed regulatory changes to payroll reporting and the classification of payroll and claims.  The changes included allowing the Clerical Office classification to be used for many employees who are now working from home, excluding COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims…

Proposed WCIRB Rules May Reduce Workers’ Compensation Premium Costs

With the COVID-19 crisis continuing to alter the business and employment landscape, RPNA wanted to alert its friends and clients that the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (“WCIRB”) recently proposed regulatory changes to payroll reporting and the classification of payroll and claims.   On April 14, 2020, the WCIRB Rating and Classification Committee meeting proposed the…