Recent DOJ Action in the No-Poach Arena

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The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2016 published Antitrust Guidance for Human Resource Professionals warning of criminal remedies for those participating in illegal no-poach agreements. Recently, the DOJ and FTC made good on that promise by filing the first public criminal indictment alleging a conspiracy between companies in which they agreed not to poach each other’s employees. The DOJ and FTC warned they could take such actions when “naked” wage-fixing and no-poach agreements were per se illegal violations under the antitrust laws.

CFPB Adopts Strict Liability Standard for Debt Collectors Who Sue or Threaten Suit Over Time-Barred Debt

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On January 19, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published its final debt collection rules in the Federal Register, including 12 C.F.R. § 1006.26(b), which prohibits collections of time-barred debt. Under the new rules, collectors who sue or threaten to sue consumers for time-barred or “zombie” debts ‒ debts for which the statute of limitations already expired ‒ violate the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA).

The Compliance Monthly: The Government’s Prioritization of Information Over Sanction

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As part of Temple Law’s Faculty Spring Colloquium Series, Professor Veronica Root Martinez presented her paper: The Government’s Prioritization of Information Over Sanction: Implications for Compliance. Professor Martinez teaches at Notre Dame Law School and is also the Director of the Program on Ethics, Compliance & Inclusion.

Corporate Transparency Act and Implications for Entity Formation and Transaction Structures

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The 116th United States Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which includes the Corporate Transparency Act (the CTA). The CTA seeks to provide appropriate safeguards to identify bad actors engaged in terrorism, money laundering, sex trafficking and other heinous acts through “shell companies” that are not actually engaged in a bona fide business venture but instead are created for the principal purpose of shielding the owners from liability for engaging in illicit behavior and, in many cases, their identities.

How Granting Cert in New Hampshire v. Massachusetts Could Impact Pennsylvania and Philadelphia

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The U.S. Supreme Court is considering granting cert on a case that could impact Pennsylvania’s ability to collect income taxes from non-residents and the city of Philadelphia’s ability to continue to apply its “requirement of employment” rule for the city’s wage tax. The Court has asked the acting solicitor general to weigh in on New Hampshire v. Massachusetts, a case in which New Hampshire is challenging Massachusetts’ practice of taxing nonresidents who previously worked in-state but now work remotely from home in New Hampshire.

Dismissal of Chapter 11 Case Calls Into Question Bankruptcy Protections for Cannabis Companies

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Despite a company’s claim that it deals only in legal hemp products, in January, a federal court denied the company’s access to relief under the Bankruptcy Code. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Joseph Rosania, Jr., of the District of Colorado, dismissed United Cannabis Corporation’s (UCANN) Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, a move that could cause concerns for cannabis companies that may be seeking bankruptcy relief, particularly in the midst of a global pandemic.