Switzerland Narrowly Rejects Novel ‘Responsible Business Initiative’ on Multinational Corporation Environmental- and Human Rights-Based Liability

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Switzerland Narrowly Rejects Novel ‘Responsible Business Initiative’ on Multinational Corporation Environmental- and Human Rights-Based Liability

By Samuel L. Brown

November 30, 2020

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On November 29, Voters in Switzerland narrowly rejected the “Responsible Business Initiative” (RBI), which would have extended liability to multinational corporations and their subsidiaries and suppliers for noncompliance with international environmental and human rights standards, not just in Switzerland but also when doing business abroad. The majority of Swiss voted in favor of the RBI, but the referendum failed due to unique requirements associated with Switzerland’s direct democracy. The RBI would have been a high…

Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog

Cal/OSHA Votes to Implement Strict COVID-19 Workplace Protections for California Workers

By Jason P. Brown & Susan F. Wiltsie

November 30, 2020

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (“Cal/OSHA”) voted on November 19 to implement a stringent new standard for employers to follow when implementing COVID-19 protections in the state. The state’s rulemaking agency for workplace safety voted unanimously (6 to 0) to pass the “Emergency COVID-19 Prevention Regulations” (the “Standard”), which is expected to go into effect within 10 days (assuming the State’s Office of Administrative Law adopts Cal/OSHA’s regulation).…

Engineering Coverage for Social Engineering Schemes in Light of New Jersey Federal Court Opinion Finding No Errors and Omissions Coverage for Email Scam

By Andrea DeField & Michael L. Huggins

November 30, 2020

It’s a cautionary tale of cyber fraud. A title agent in a real estate transaction receives an email ostensibly from the mortgage lender providing instructions for transferring the loan proceeds into a settlement bank account. After transferring the funds ($520,000), it becomes apparent that the transfer instructions came from an email address that was one letter off from the mortgage lender’s actual email address – it was a scam. But it’s too late, the scammer…

EU Parliament Approves Collective Redress Directive

November 25, 2020

On November 24, 2020, the European Parliament endorsed the new directive on representative actions for the protection of the collective interests of consumers (the “Collective Redress Directive”). The Collective Redress Directive requires all EU Member States to put in place at least one effective procedural mechanism allowing qualified entities to bring representative actions to court for the purpose of injunction or redress. The Collective Redress Directive was presented in April 2018 by the…

Home Depot Agrees to Pay $17.5 Million in Multistate Settlement Following 2014 Data Breach

November 25, 2020

On November 24, 2020, a multistate coalition of Attorneys General announced that The Home Depot, Inc. (“Home Depot”) agreed to pay $17.5 million and implement a series of data security practices in response to a data breach the company experienced in 2014. The $17.5 million payment will be divided among the 46 participating states and the District of Colombia. We previously reported on a settlement Home Depot reached in 2017 to resolve a putative class…

Webinar on Machine Learning Hot Topics: Negotiating Global Data Protection and IP Terms

November 25, 2020

On December 3, 2020, Hunton Andrews Kurth will host a webinar on Machine Learning Hot Topics: Negotiating Global Data Protection and IP Terms. Join our Hunton speakers, Brittany Bacon, Tyler Maddry and Anna Pateraki, as they discuss key data protection and intellectual property considerations when drafting and negotiating global agreements involving machine learning (“ML”) services and engaging in new ML practices.…

Hunton Insurance Recovery Blog

For the First Time in 12 Years, EEOC Releases Updated Proposals to Compliance Manual on Religious Discrimination

By J. Marshall Horton, Holly H. Williamson & Kevin J. White

November 24, 2020

On November 17, 2020 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released proposed updates to its Compliance Manual on Religious Discrimination (“Manual”). The draft revisions (which can be found here) are available for public input until December 17, 2020, after which the EEOC will consider the public’s input, make any changes, and publish the finalized Manual.…

Insurer Ordered to Clean Up Robot Vacuum Cleaner’s IP-Related Suit

By Michael S. Levine & Casey L. Coffey

November 24, 2020

On November 19, 2020, a Delaware judge ruled in Indian Harbor Ins. Co. v. SharkNinja Operating LLC, et al., that insurer Indian Harbor must defend SharkNinja against underlying patent infringement and false advertising claims despite a patent infringement exclusion.…

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