Telework Surge Primed for School-Year Reckoning in Court

Here are the day’s top coronavirus stories from the team at Bloomberg Law:

• TELEWORK SURGE: The pandemic’s pre-summer months showed that teleworking parents’ obligations to assist children with school assignments during the normal workday inevitably led to irregular work schedules and difficulty determining when someone is truly off the clock. Future litigation over these emerging complications could center on how effective employers are in establishing a system for employees to report unscheduled telework hours and how successful plaintiffs’ attorneys are in proving that workers face obstacles in reporting that time.
• FUELING MERGERS: The CEO of Baker Tilly US LLP and the managing partner of Squar Milner LLP traded phone calls and text messages every day while the pandemic raged. Between efforts to shore up cash and adapt to all-remote staff, they were laying the groundwork for merging the two fast-growing operations to create what is slated to be the 10th-largest accounting firm in the country with a workforce of 4,300 professionals.
• RELIEF PLAN: Senate Republicans said Tuesday that they will introduce and set up a floor vote on a slimmed-down stimulus bill in an effort to break a month-long impasse on aid for the U.S. economy.

Editor’s Top Picks

JPMorgan Probing Employees’ Role in Misuse of Relief Funds
JPMorgan Chase & Co. says it’s probing the role of some employees who may have enabled misuse of Covid-relief funds in what it calls potentially illegal activities.

SCOTUS Urged to Deny FDA Relief in Abortion Pill Fight
The U.S. Supreme Court should let stand an order requiring the Food and Drug Administration to allow women to get a medication used to induce abortions by mail or delivery during the Covid-19 public health emergency, doctors’ groups told the high court Tuesday.

DOL Sued Over Unmet Request for Meatpacking Industry Virus Data
Public Citizen Inc. has sued the U.S. Department of Labor over a languishing Freedom of Information request related to the agency’s response to coronavirus infections at meat processing facilities.

TV Academy Sues Over Emmy Image in Covid ‘Awards’ YouTube Video
The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences sued Crowdsource the Truth, which it called a platform for conspiracy theories, for allegedly infringing its copyrights and trademarks by using an image of the Emmy Award statuette in a video for its “Crony Awards,” according to a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court.

U.S. Ordered by Judge to Partly Lift Ban on Visa Winners
President Donald Trump’s proclamation barring green card applicants, diversity visa lottery winners and other foreign guest workers from entering the U.S., has been partially blocked by a Washington federal judge. Trump said the measure was needed to protect American workers’ jobs during the economic downturn.

Occidental-Anadarko Deal ‘Robbed’ Holders to Pay Berkshire: Suit
Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s board and leadership were hit with a Delaware lawsuit claiming its $38 billion acquisition of Anadarko Petroleum Corp.—in a deal backed by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and fought by Carl Icahn—disenfranchised public shareholders, transferred their equity to Berkshire, and left the company unprepared to face the pandemic.

PacLife Seeks to Dissolve D.C. Marriott Venture With JBG Smith
Pacific Life Insurance Co. wants the Delaware Chancery Court to dissolve the joint venture through which it owns a Washington Marriott with JBG Smith Properties, saying the partners are deadlocked over how to move forward as the pandemic costs the hotel $2 million a month.

California Issues First Virus-Related Worker-Safety Citations
California’s workplace safety agency has issued its first Covid-19 citations, nearly six months into the pandemic. Proposed fines for 11 cited employers ranged from $51,190 to $2,025 and, in some cases, included penalties for violations unrelated to virus response, such as shortcomings in heat protection.

Amazon Sued by Chinese Mask Maker Over ‘Tag Along’ Listings
Shenzhen Qianhai Phoenix Networks Co.—which sells a line of surgical-type face masks under the brand name Honrane—sued Amazon.com Inc. in Chicago federal court for allegedly allowing counterfeit sellers to “tag-along” to its authorized product listings.

Delaware’s Ballot Receipt Deadline Targeted in New Voting Suit
The League of Women Voters of Delaware has asked a state court to block the enforcement of a ballot-return deadline for the fall election because of the coronavirus pandemic and the strain on the U.S. Postal Service.

Pickup in U.S. Employment Complicates Talks on Fiscal Stimulus
The latest U.S. employment gains dispelled pessimism that the jobs rebound is deflating, but also risks delaying a new round of federal aid that’s been a lifeline for millions of Americans and small businesses during the pandemic.

INSIGHT: Five Ways Law Firms Can Remotely Engage Diverse Law Students
Covid-19 has required law firms to pivot to remote recruiting, and the shift means being even more intentional about recruiting ethnically diverse and LGBTQ+ law students. Jennifer Carriòn, a member of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP’s lawyer recruiting team, suggests engaging former summer associates, creating on-demand programs to reduce Zoom fatigue, and working with career services offices to host events.

Click here for updates on how federal courts are operating during the pandemic.

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Editor’s Note: The Bloomberg Law news team has been closely covering the legal, regulatory, business, and tax implications of the coronavirus pandemic. This daily email highlights the top stories of the day, across practice areas. To unsubscribe, please adjust your Bloomberg Law newsletter settings. For assistance, contact our help desk at 888-560-2529 or help@bloomberglaw.com.