Minnesota: Parentally Signed Exculpatory Waivers Are Binding After Adulthood

This past year, exculpatory waivers had their moment in the sun as businesses and educational institutions raced to put waivers in place to protect against claims stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. A Minnesota Court of Appeals decision published this week, Carter Justice v. Marvel, LLC d/b/a Pump It Up Parties, provides clarity and confidence for the Minnesota businesses and educational institutions that utilize waivers for persons under 18. In an issue of first impression, the appellate court held that an exculpatory waiver signed by a parent on behalf of his or her minor child is binding on the child after the child becomes an adult. The court also reinforced the standard for determining whether a waiver is enforceable under Minnesota law and the effect of an overly broad waiver.

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California Supreme Court: Paying Meal and Rest Period Penalty Based on Employee’s Base Hourly Rate Is Not Enough

On July 15, 2021, the California Supreme Court ruled that an employee’s “regular rate of compensation” for the purposes of meal and rest break penalties includes all nondiscretionary payments, not just hourly wages. This decision will have significant impact on all employers in California because (1) going forward, employers cannot simply pay the employee’s base hourly rate for meal and rest break violations, and (2) this decision is retroactive.

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President Biden Targets Non-Compete Agreements in New Executive Order on Promoting Competition

As part of “a whole-of-government effort to promote competition in the American economy,” President Biden’s July 9 Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy encourages the Federal Trade Commission to ban or limit non-compete agreements. In doing so, President Biden continues — and potentially accelerates — what to date has been a piecemeal effort conducted almost exclusively at the state level to limit, and in some cases prohibit, the use of non-competes, particularly for low-wage workers.

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New York Issues NY HERO Act Standard and Model Plan — A Playbook for the Next Pandemic

This week, the New York State Department of Labor issued the new Airborne Infectious Disease Exposure Prevention Standard and model template plan under the NY HERO Act. However, with no current designation for COVID-19 as a “highly contagious communicable disease” by the New York State Commissioner of Health, the model plan is more of a playbook for the next outbreak.

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Parties Stipulate to Dismissal of Legal Challenge to Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act

On July 6, 2021, the parties to a lawsuit challenging the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (CEPEWA) filed a stipulation to dismiss the action without prejudice, with the litigants bearing their own costs and attorneys’ fees. On July 7, 2021, the case was terminated pursuant to the stipulation of dismissal.

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State & Local Employment Law Developments: Q2 2021

The second quarter of 2021 continues the trend of increasing regulation of the workplace by state and local governments. Several new and revised state and local workplace regulations became effective or will soon be effective, including a trend towards a broader inclusiveness in leave laws. This update reviews these new requirements and recaps Q2 state and local employment law developments to help you and your organization stay in compliance.

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