The Biden Administration and several states have sought to limit non-compete agreements in recent years as restraints on trade. Florida has long been more accepting of them and has just moved further into this camp. The...more
Following the 2025 regular legislative session, Florida has enacted new limitations impacting persons from "foreign countries of concern" and nonprofits registered to solicit donations in Florida. Effective July 1, 2025,...more
In the third and final episode of Florida Capital Conversations' healthcare privacy series, Tallahassee attorneys Shannon Hartsfield and Eddie Williams join hosts Nathan Adams and Mia McKown to discuss the challenges of...more
Federal Trade Commission Protects Worship Location Data Shannon Britton Hartsfield and Bess Hinson-Greenspan Recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforcement activity signals that companies need to protect consumer location...more
5/5/2025
/ Data Brokers ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Gay Conversion Therapy ,
Location Data ,
Mental Health ,
Popular ,
Privacy Laws ,
Protected Class ,
Religious Institutions ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
RLUIPA ,
Standing
A couple of weeks into the 2025 legislative session, Florida legislators are considering a suite of bills focused on "foreign principals" and their political activities, access to critical infrastructure, procurement,...more
In the final days of the Biden Administration, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced a number of policy initiatives and enforcement actions related to ED's misrepresentation regulations for institutions of higher...more
1/24/2025
/ Biden Administration ,
Colleges ,
Department of Education ,
Educational Institutions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Misrepresentation ,
New Guidance ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Students ,
Title IV ,
Trump Administration ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Universities
Fired Pastor's Ousting During Church Service Did Not Violate His Free Exercise Rights Anthony J. Sirven In Couzens v. City of Forest Park, Ohio, 114 F.4th 571, 574 (6th Cir. 2024), church leaders hired off-duty municipal...more
11/4/2024
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Churches ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Free Speech ,
Gay Conversion Therapy ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Rights Act ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Nonprofits ,
Public Accommodation ,
Public Schools ,
Religion ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Retaliation ,
Sexual Orientation ,
State Constitutions ,
Title IX ,
Title VII ,
TX Supreme Court
In this episode of our "Florida Capital Conversations" podcast series, policy advisor Jon Steverson and attorney Lawrence Sellers discuss significant legislative developments affecting the energy and environmental sectors in...more
In this episode of our "Florida Capital Conversations" podcast series, Equine Industry Team Leader Kayla Pragid and Public Affairs Advisor Tori Deal delve into the diverse aspects of Florida's equine industry. Ms. Pragid...more
In May 2023, Florida became among the first states to limit select persons from "foreign countries of concern" from directly or indirectly owning, having a controlling interest in or acquiring an interest in Florida real...more
8/15/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Agricultural Land ,
China ,
Controlling Person ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cuba ,
Foreign Ownership ,
Government Officials ,
Korea ,
Pending Litigation ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Property Ownership ,
Proposed Rules ,
Registration Requirement ,
Venezuela
Vaccine Exemption Policy Requiring Citation to Official Doctrine Violates First Amendment Madison Houghton and Nathan A. Adams IV In Does 1-11 v. Bd. of Regents of Univ. of Colorado, 100 F. 4th 1251 (10th Cir. 2024), former...more
7/12/2024
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Censorship ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Protection ,
Establishment Clause ,
Failure to Accommodate ,
FEHA ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Groff v DeJoy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minors ,
Native American Issues ,
Public Schools ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
Title VII ,
Transgender ,
Undue Hardship ,
Vaccinations ,
Zoning Laws
In December 2022, Consumer Reports published a study on lead and cadmium in dark chocolate. Dark chocolate came into vogue when studies showed antioxidants in it may have health benefits. Consumer Reports discovered something...more
Florida enacted Senate Bill (SB) 264 in May 2023, creating Chapter 692, Florida Statutes (the Act), to limit select persons from "foreign countries of concern" from owning, having a controlling interest in or acquiring an...more
4/1/2024
/ Agricultural Land ,
China ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Controlling Person ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Equal Protection ,
Fair Housing Act (FHA) ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Nationals ,
New Legislation ,
Ownership Interest ,
Passive Investments ,
Preemption ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Public Contracts ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Rulemaking Process
Failure to Extend Extracurricular Opportunities to Parochial School Students Violates Free Exercise In Religious Rights Foundation of Pa. v. State College Area Sch. Dist., No. 23-CV-01144, 2023 WL 8359957 (M.D. Pa. Dec. 1,...more
1/10/2024
/ Abortion ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Breach of Contract ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Due Process ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Equal Protection ,
Fraudulent Inducement ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Human Rights Act ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Schools ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
State Constitutions ,
State Funding ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Transgender ,
Vaccinations
Florida enacted Senate Bill (SB) 264 (Chapter 2023-33, Laws of Florida) in May 2023 to limit select persons from "foreign countries of concern" from owning, having a controlling interest in or acquiring an interest in certain...more
1/2/2024
/ Beneficial Owner ,
China ,
Commercial Leases ,
Commercial Property Owners ,
Controlling Stockholders ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cuba ,
EB-5 ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Health Care Providers ,
Iran ,
New Legislation ,
North Korea ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Registration Requirement ,
Residential Property Owners ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Russia ,
State Contractors ,
Syria ,
Venezuela
Is there a limit on the number of times the federal government can request extensions of the 60-day period under seal to decide whether to intervene in a qui tam relator's False Claims Act (FCA) case? The appellants in U.S....more
12/6/2023
/ Abuse of Discretion ,
Appeals ,
Defense Strategies ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Government Investigations ,
Medicare ,
Qui Tam ,
Relators ,
Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Time Extensions ,
Tolling
In the next episode of the "Legal Bites Podcast" series, Food and Beverage Litigation Team leader Nathan Adams and Practice Development Manager Kristina Merritt speak with Public Policy & Regulation attorney Sara Klock, who...more
Enhanced Airport Screening Did Not Violate Free Exercise Clause In Haidari v. Mayorkas, No. 22-cv-2939 (ECT/ECW), 2023 WL 5487351 (D. Minn. Aug. 24, 2023), the court dismissed the plaintiff's claim that federal agents have...more
10/17/2023
/ Airports ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Division of Assets ,
Divorce ,
Establishment Clause ,
Executive Orders ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Governor Beshear ,
Marital Assets ,
Opt-Outs ,
Private Schools ,
Public Schools ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Institutions ,
RLUIPA ,
Screening Procedures ,
Vaccinations ,
Zoning Laws
Most deceptive labeling claims are challenged in the first instance under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim for relief. Another strategy deserves consideration premised upon Federal Rule of...more
10/11/2023
/ Advertising ,
Article III ,
Defense Strategies ,
Dismissals ,
Failure To State A Claim ,
Federal Rule 12(b)(1) ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Magnuson-Moss Act ,
Product Labels ,
Standing ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
The Florida Department of Commerce (Department) on Sept. 20, 2023, published proposed rules interpreting Florida's law limiting "foreign principals" from "foreign countries of concern" – China, Russia, Iran, North Korea,...more
9/22/2023
/ China ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cuba ,
Departments of Commerce ,
Foreign Entities ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Iran ,
North Korea ,
Property Owners ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Russia ,
Syria ,
Venezuela
A federal district court on Aug. 17, 2023, declined to enjoin Florida's law limiting select persons from "foreign countries of concern" from directly or indirectly owning, having a controlling interest in or acquiring by...more
8/22/2023
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Equal Protection ,
Fair Housing Act (FHA) ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
New Legislation ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Residence Status ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Standing ,
Supremacy Clause ,
Visas
In the inaugural episode of the "Legal Bites Podcast" series, Food and Beverage Litigation Group Leader Nathan Adams and Practice Development Manager Kristina Merritt speak with Ashley Petefish, Sr. Litigation Counsel and...more
In the inaugural episode of the "Legal Bites Podcast" series, Food and Beverage Litigation Group Leader Nathan Adams and Practice Development Manager Kristina Merritt speak with Ashley Petefish, Sr. Litigation Counsel and...more
Supreme Court Decides Freedom of Speech Trumps Public Accommodations Law In 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, No. 21-476 (June 30, 2023), the U.S. Supreme Court reversed 6-3 the lower courts' denial of the injunction the plaintiff...more
7/27/2023
/ 303 Creative LLC v Elenis ,
ADEA ,
Age Discrimination ,
Bylaws ,
Churches ,
Class Action ,
Concealed Carry Permit ,
Concealed Weapons ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EB-4 ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
First Amendment ,
Fourteenth Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Gender Identity ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Public Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
SCOTUS ,
Second Amendment ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations
Briefing on a motion for preliminary injunction is complete in the lawsuit filed to strike Florida Senate Bill 264, Chapter No. 2023-33, Laws of Florida (the Act), which limits select persons from "foreign countries of...more
7/13/2023
/ China ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Espionage ,
Foreign Ownership ,
Foreign Persons ,
H-1B ,
National Security ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Property Ownership ,
Real Estate Sales Contracts ,
Registration Requirement