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
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
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
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
Donors State Claims for Misuse of Their Funds, But Not as a Class Action -
In Carrier v. Ravi Zacharias Int'l Ministries, Inc. No. 1:21-CV-3161-TWT, 2022 WL 1540206 (N.D. Ga. May 13, 2022) and Carrier v. Ravi Zacharias...more
3/31/2023
/ Abortion ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Affordable Care Act ,
Charitable Donations ,
Charitable Organizations ,
Churches ,
Concealed Carry Permit ,
Concealed Weapons ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Disparate Treatment ,
EB-4 ,
Establishment Clause ,
Firearms ,
First Amendment ,
Gay Conversion Therapy ,
Gender Identity ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Misuse or Misdirection of Funds ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
RLUIPA ,
Second Amendment ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Title IX ,
Title VII ,
USCIS ,
Visas
In Thornton v. Tyson Foods, Inc., No. 20-2124, 2022 WL 727628 (10th Cir. March 11, 2022), a consumer who purchased beef from retail stores filed a class action complaint against meat processors, alleging that their "Product...more
4/6/2022
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Arbitration ,
Beverage Manufacturers ,
Business Interruption ,
Class Action ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Drive-Throughs ,
False Advertising ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Manufacturers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Wage and Hour
Religious Exemption to States' Mandatory Vaccination Statute Not Necessary In Does 1-6 v. Mills, No. 1:21-cv-00242, 2021 WL 4783626 (D. Me. Oct. 13, 2021), the court denied injunctive relief to plaintiff healthcare workers...more
2/4/2022
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Affiliates ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Churches ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
First Amendment ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Military Service Members ,
Morals Clauses ,
Non-Immigrant Visas ,
Private Schools ,
R-1 Visas ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Title VII ,
USCIS ,
Vaccinations
The U.S. Supreme Court today reached split decisions on the so-called vaccination mandates issued, respectively, by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...more
1/14/2022
/ Administrative Authority ,
Biden Administration ,
Biden v Missouri ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Lack of Authority ,
National Federation of Independent Business v Department of Labor and OSHA ,
OSHA ,
Preemption ,
SCOTUS ,
Stays ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The U.S. Supreme Court today heard oral argument on applications to stay both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandates. As in prior cases...more
Keeping track of a dizzying number of injunctions and stays by multiple federal district courts and courts of appeal involving three separate federal COVID-19 vaccination mandates with a couple exceptions is no small task....more
12/23/2021
/ Administrative Authority ,
Biden Administration ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Mandates ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Contractors ,
Federal Property and Administrative Services Act (FPASA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Order to Lift Stay ,
OSHA ,
Preemption ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Stays ,
Temporary Regulations ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Florida healthcare providers billing federal programs may again face a complicated COVID-19 quandary. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has denied the state of Florida's request for an injunction against the...more
12/9/2021
/ Appeals ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Mandates ,
Governor DeSantis ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
New Legislation ,
Preemption ,
Stays ,
Vaccinations
Morals Clause Ruled Not Within Title VII Religious Exemptions Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it unlawful "to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any...more
10/6/2021
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Chevron Deference ,
Churches ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Equal Protection ,
Establishment Clause ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Free Speech ,
Hostile Environment ,
Indemnification ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Morals Clauses ,
Public Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
Retaliation ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Sovereign Immunity ,
State Constitutions ,
Subject Matter Jurisdiction ,
Title IX ,
Title VII ,
Tortious Interference ,
Transgender ,
Tuition ,
Visas
Ministerial Exception Doctrine Bars Minister-on-Minister Hostile Work Environment Claim In Demkovich v. St. Andrew the Apostle Parish, Calumet City, No. 19-2142, 2021 WL 2880232 (7th Cir. July 9, 2021), the U.S. Court of...more
7/23/2021
/ Churches ,
Conditional Use Permit ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Defamation ,
Establishment Clause ,
First Amendment ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Hostile Environment ,
Local Health Departments (LHDs) ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Private Schools ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
State Constitutions ,
WI Supreme Court
"The overwhelming majority of courts have concluded that neither COVID-19 nor the governmental orders associated with it cause or constitute property loss or damage for purposes of insurance coverage." So concluded the...more
7/20/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Business Losses ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Contracts Clause ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Breach ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Due Process ,
Equal Protection ,
Farm Workers ,
Farms ,
First Amendment ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Grocery Store Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Insurance Claims ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Malware ,
Misrepresentation ,
NLRA ,
NPRM ,
Policy Terms ,
Preemption ,
Property Damage ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Tip Credit ,
Tipped Employees ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices ,
Wage and Hour
Blanket Limitation on Private Home Gatherings to 3 Households Overturned In Tandon v. Newsom, 141 S.Ct. 1294 (2021) (per curiam), the U.S. Supreme Court enjoined pending appeal California's imposition of a blanket limitation...more
6/10/2021
/ CA Supreme Court ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Defamation ,
Discipline ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Establishment Clause ,
Governor Newsom ,
Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress ,
Municipalities ,
Partial Summary Judgments ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Religious Accommodation ,
Religious Discrimination ,
Religious Institutions ,
Remand ,
Reproductive Discrimination ,
RLUIPA ,
Safe Harbors ,
Social Distancing ,
Title VII ,
Tuition ,
Undue Hardship ,
UT Supreme Court ,
Writ of Mandamus ,
Zoning Laws
The private sector in the United States has begun asking whether it is lawful to prefer consumers who have received the COVID-19 vaccine over the unvaccinated or to exclude unvaccinated consumers altogether. Consumers include...more
3/26/2021
/ Airlines ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Customers ,
Health and Safety ,
Israel ,
Private Sector ,
Public Accommodation ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retailers ,
Risk Management ,
Title III ,
Vaccinations
Attendance Limitations on Houses of Worship Enjoined In Agudath Israel of America v. Cuomo, 983 F. 3d 620 (2d Cir. 2020), the court of appeals reversed two district courts and ruled that an executive order that limited...more
3/24/2021
/ Ad Valorem Tax ,
Churches ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Establishment Clause ,
Executive Orders ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Free Speech ,
Hospitals ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Property Tax ,
Public Funds ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Institutions ,
Religious Schools ,
Retaliation ,
School Closures ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Title VII ,
Tuition ,
Vaccinations
Insurers have prevailed in several lawsuits filed by restaurants in connection with losses related to COVID-19. For example, in Emerald Coast Restaurants, Inc. v. Aspen Specialty Ins. Co., No. 3:20cv5898-TKW-HTC, 2020 WL...more
3/18/2021
/ Article III ,
Business Interruption ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Breach ,
Dietary Supplements ,
Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Insurance Claims ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Litigation ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Standing ,
Unfair Competition ,
Wage and Hour
The executive and judicial branches do not see eye-to-eye on the scope of PREP Act immunity. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), under the current administration, has taken umbrage at how lower courts have...more
1/15/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Fourth Amendment ,
Health Care Providers ,
Immunity ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Liability ,
Preemption ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) ,
Vaccinations
This week, the EEOC approved employers requiring employees to receive COVID-19 vaccination, subject to limitations. How limiting are the limitations? Case law applying them is thin, but generally treats them as narrow. In...more
12/28/2020
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Due Process ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
GINA ,
Infectious Diseases ,
OSHA ,
Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act) ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
In Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y. v. Cuomo, No. 20A87, 2020 WL 6948354 (U.S. Nov. 25, 2020) (per curiam), the U.S. Supreme Court enjoined enforcement of the 10- and 25-person occupancy limits on churches in New York...more
12/23/2020
/ Article III ,
Churches ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Establishment Clause ,
Executive Orders ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Private Schools ,
Public Funds ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Schools ,
Religious Exemption ,
Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) ,
Religious Institutions ,
Sexual Orientation ,
Sexual Orientation Discrimination ,
Standing ,
Title VII
The Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act, Public Law 109-148, Div. C, ยง 2 (2005) (PREP Act), as amended, authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to limit legal liability for losses relating to...more
Earlier this year, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published a final rule (ONC Rule) addressing interoperability, information blocking and patient access to data. The ONC Rule...more
10/20/2020
/ 21st Century Cures Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Damages ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Double Damages ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Information Blocking Rules ,
Kickbacks ,
Medical Devices ,
Medical Records ,
Medicare ,
ONC ,
PACT Act ,
Self-Referral ,
Willful Violations
In Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley v. Sisolak, 140 S.Ct. 203 (2020), the U.S. Supreme Court declined to enjoin Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak's emergency order capping in-person services at 50 people regardless of facility size while...more
10/15/2020
/ Abuse of Discretion ,
Adoption ,
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Child Care ,
Churches ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Establishment Clause ,
Executive Orders ,
Free Exercise Clause ,
Free Speech ,
Governor Cuomo ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hostile Environment ,
Ministerial Exception ,
Religious Institutions ,
Remand ,
Social Distancing ,
Title VII
More than six months into the pandemic, there is still no easy or definitive answer to the question many retailers are asking about whether there is coverage for their business interruption losses related to COVID-19....more
10/14/2020
/ Agricultural Sector ,
Antitrust Violations ,
Business Interruption ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Insurance Policies ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Dismissals ,
Executive Orders ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Food Labeling ,
Food Manufacturers ,
FSMA ,
Health Claims ,
NLRA ,
NLRB ,
Notice Requirements ,
OSHA ,
Putative Class Actions ,
Reversal ,
Tip Credit ,
Unfair Competition ,
Wage and Hour