Illinois law now requires all employers, regardless of size, to provide sexual harassment prevention training to all Illinois employees by December 31, 2020. GCT Employment Practice Group is now offering a customized training session for your employees to help ensure that your business complies with these new requirements.

Last Friday's guidance in IRS Notice 2020-50 expands the definition of "Qualified Individuals" entitled to retirement plan relief under the CARES Act and verifies that employer implementation of the relief rules is not required.

Certain retirement plan distribution and participant loan applications require a spousal consent to be signed by the participant's spouse. The consent serves as a protection of spousal rights in plans that otherwise provide for benefit distributions in the form of an annuity that includes a survivor annuity for the spouse (a "qualified joint and survivor annuity").

Recent IRS Notice 2020-29 provides additional options to allow mid-year changes in participant cafeteria plan elections. The additional relief from prior cafeteria plan election rules is intended to help employees adapt to changes in their personal circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

IRS and Department of Labor joint rules effective May 4, 2020 created a new COBRA universe by extending both group health plan deadlines for providing COBRA election notices and employee deadlines for electing COBRA continuation coverage — and paying for it. These deadlines are extended for the entire "Outbreak Period," which started March 1, 2020 and ends 60 days after the officially declared end of the COVID-19 national emergency.

PLEASE RSVP TO kkussmann@gct.law

Business interruption insurance may provide coverage for lost profits and related costs when a company is unable to continue normal business operations. Also, a mandatory order requiring a business to close to avoid the spread of COVID-19 may qualify as an order of civil authority, which may trigger coverage.

Google reported that in a single week in April, it prevented millions of malicious coronavirus-related emails from reaching Gmail users. Further, both the FBI and the Federal Trade Commission have issued warnings to raise awareness of fraudulent email scams related to the coronavirus pandemic.

We know that our clients are struggling with difficult decisions and an overwhelming onslaught of information. The attorneys at Golan Christie Taglia can assist you in navigating whatever you may be facing right now.

We are pleased to announce that David J. Ben-Dov has joined the firm as a partner. David is a valued legal and business counselor who focuses on complex business litigation.

Our focus on your success is more than just our tagline. It is our mission and our commitment to our clients. We would like to share a client’s success story that demonstrates that commitment.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce predicts that 40% of the nation’s 30 million small businesses could close permanently in the next six months. Are you worried that your business will be one of the statistics? It may not have to be.

• How Commercial Insurance Policies Define And Cover “Business Interruption”
• Is Your Business Prepared To Identify And Address A Cybersecurity Breach?
• GCT ALERT: Coronavirus Summary
• GCT Welcomes A New Partner

GCT attorneys have highlighted eight challenges they can help you address amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The relief provisions of the CARES Act generally benefit coronavirus-impacted participants with accelerated retirement plan benefit payments and participant loan extensions. But what actions can employers take to relieve financial stress by reducing the cost of retirement plan benefits?

On April 24, 2020, President Donald Trump signed into law an additional $484 billion coronavirus relief aid package. Significantly, the bill provides a new $310 billion round of funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”).

For purposes of the 401(k) and retirement plan relief provisions of the CARES Act, employers will be dealing with a new category of employee, the coronavirus impacted participant, or "CIP" for short.

As of Thursday, April 16, 2020, the nearly $350 billion allocated to fund the Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”, previously discussed in detail here) had been entirely committed. According to the American Bar Association, the Small Business Administration is no longer taking applications, and will not allow new applications to be placed in a queue.

Alumni and guests are invited to join members of the University of Illinois College of Law community at the annual alumni dinner in Chicago, featuring remarks by Dean Vikram Amar and Professor Andrew Leipold, and presentation of the Distinguished Alumni Award to GCT partner, David Saltiel, Class of 1979.

While we are following Governor Pritzker’s order to stay at home, our firm is still working. Because we have received many questions in the last few weeks, we want to reach out to you to provide a few reminders and tips.

Employers who are faced with difficult decisions on reductions in their workforce need to consider group health coverage issues. Are employees on furlough, a leave of absence, or working reduced hours eligible for continued group health coverage for themselves and their families?

Since we published our initial alert regarding the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, both the Department of Labor and the IRS have updated their guidance interpreting the complicated new law.

On March 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) into law. The law contains a number of provisions that deal directly with retirement plan benefits.

On March 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) into law. The law includes significant aid for small businesses and individuals affected by the novel coronavirus and the surrounding economic consequences.

Women’s advocacy organizations in Chicago decided to push back the Equal Pay Day rally to center the experiences of women of color, and in recognition of the fact that we will not close the gender wage gap until every woman is compensated with equal pay for equal work.