Agency Terminates at Point of Delivery
Earlier this year, an Illinois Appellate Court held that an agency relationship terminates upon the completion of the task the agent is conducting within the scope of its employment for the principal. In Brettman v. M&G Truck Brokerage, 2019 IL App (2d) 180236 (Jan. 17, 2019), the court expanded on the reasoning supplied by Sperl
The Do’s and Don’ts of Protecting Yourself Against a Ransomware Attack
Although ransomware is thought to attack high-profile victims like large businesses, hospitals, and police stations, ransomware has become increasingly prevalent in small businesses and home computers. Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts a computer’s files, rendering the files unusable. The ransomware then holds the files “hostage,” forcing the victim to pay a ransom,
Illinois’ New Retainage Law
New amendments to the Illinois Contractor Prompt Payment Act (“Act”) were recently passed into law. This new portion of the law specifically concerns the percentage of funds an owner is entitled by contract to withhold from payments to the contractor (or which the contractor can withhold from the subcontractor) until the owner’s obligation to pay
New Illinois Law Imposes Restrictions on Employers Interview Procedures
HB 834, known as the “No Salary History Law” became effective on September 29, 2019. The new law is an effort of the Illinois Legislature to curb the gender pay gap and reduce discrimination in the workplace. First, the new law prohibits employers from screening job applicants based on current or past wages. This means
Illinois’ Legislature Repeal of a 1998 Law to Set Stage for Limitations on Emissions
The Illinois legislature recently passed a law repealing a 1998 law which prohibited Illinois from setting emissions reduction targets beyond those established in the Kyoto Protocol. By repealing the 1998 law, starting January 1, 2020 Illinois law makers are expected to focus on a progressive clean energy bill with the goal of transitioning Illinois to
Potential Expansion of Illinois Taxes May Affect Your Business
Sales tax is one of the largest sources of state revenue and is crucial to basic government operations. Although Illinois currently only applies sales tax to goods, such as tangible personal property, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is considering broadening the sales tax base to include services. Many, many states like Delaware, Hawaii, New Mexico, South
General Contractors Beware! You May Be Responsible for a Subcontractor’s Failure to Pay its Workers
HB2838 (“Bill”), which has been passed by the House and is under consideration in the Senate would allow the Department of Labor to hold prime contractors responsible for subcontractors’ unpaid employees, and employees who are paid less than the applicable minimum wage. Specifically, the Bill would hold prime contractors responsible for “any debt owed to
Illinois Appellate Court Ruling Affecting Labor Unions’ Termination of Employees
In a recent case, Dorothy Crawley v. The Board of Education of the City of Chicago, the 1st District Appellate Court ruled that the termination of a Chicago school teacher, who called in sick but in reality, actually went on a vacation, was warranted under the state’s School Code. Although the Defendant submitted a physician’s
New Legislation Regulating Employers’ Interview Procedures
On August 9, 2019, Governor Pritzker signed into law, the Illinois Artificial Intelligence Video Interview Act (“Act”)– one of the first laws in the country aimed at regulating the use of artificial intelligence in the employee hiring process. Starting January 1, 2020 Illinois employers will be prohibited from using artificial intelligence to interview prospective employees
Employers Beware: New Chicago Ordinance Establishes Notice Requirements for Workers’ Schedules
On Wednesday, July 24th the Chicago City Council unanimously approved the Fair Workweek Ordinance (“Ordinance”). Commencing July 1, 2020 Chicago employers in the Building Services, Healthcare, Hotel, Manufacturing, Restaurant, Retail and Warehouse Services industries will be required to provide employees earning less than $26 per hour or employees with salaries at or below $50,000 a