On May 18, 2018, CBP issued a Withhold Release Order (WRO) banning the importation of all Turkmenistan cotton or products produced in whole or in part with Turkmenistan cotton. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (TFTEA) was signed into law P.L. View Full Post
In a decision handed down yesterday (22 May) the Supreme  Court  held that where a vessel was used by unknown third parties in an unsuccessful attempt to export cocaine from Venezuela (by strapping a parcel of drugs to the vessel underwater), leading to a detention of the vessel by Venezuelan authorities for more than 6 months, the Owners were not entitled to recover the vessel’s insured value from the vessel’s war risk insurers. View Full Post
On May 16, 2018, the Irish Data Protection Bill 2018 (the “Bill”) entered the final committee stage in Dáil Éireann (the lower house and principal chamber of the Irish legislature). The Bill was passed by the Seanad (the upper house of the legislature) at the end of March 2018. View Full Post
Throughout his presidential campaign, President Trump championed the need to allow the government to negotiate drug prices on behalf of the Medicare program. However, that third rail for pharmaceutical companies was not included as part of the President’s recently released blueprint for lowering drug prices. View Full Post
Last month, the Brazilian National Monetary Council (the “CMN”) issued Resolution No. 4,658 (the “Resolution”), which establishes new cybersecurity requirements covering institutions regulated by the Brazilian Central Bank (Banco Central do Brasil).  The Resolution requires covered financial institutions to have cybersecurity policies in place by May 6, 2019, and be fully compliant with the regulation by December 31, 2021.  View Full Post
Much has recently been discussed about the potential value to the cannabis industry of last Monday’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court concerning states authorizing sports betting. Murphy v. NCAA, No. 16-476 (U.S., May 14, 2018).  For example, see “The Implications of Murphy v. View Full Post
On May 16, 2018, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia announced that it had entered into the “largest hospital drug diversion civil penalty settlement in U.S. History” in the amount of $4.1 million dollars.  The settlement with a Georgia hospital resolves allegations that the hospital “failed to provide effective controls and procedures to guard against theft and loss of controlled substances” that resulted in tens of thousands of 30mg oxycodone tablets being unaccounted for and believed to have been diverted for illegal uses over a four year period. View Full Post
The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on May 25, 2018. The GDPR makes many important changes to European Union (EU) data protection law, but it is not a complete departure from existing principles. Many of the concepts with which organizations are familiar will continue to apply under the GDPR. View Full Post