CommLaw Monitor

News and analysis from Kelley Drye’s communications practice group

DOL Signals Abandonment of Current Independent Contractor Rule

No one should be surprised that the independent contractor pendulum—which swings towards making that classification harder in Democratic administrations and easier in Republican ones—is now tilting towards making it…

Obama Administration Announces $100 million in TechHire Grants to Support IT, Cybersecurity, Broadband Sector Training

On November 17, 2015, the Department of Labor (DOL) and the White House issued a funding announcement releasing $100 million in grants as a part of the Obama Administration’s TechHire Initiative, which specifically…

Texas Judge Imposes Temporary Halt on Enforcement of New FMLA Same-Sex Couple Rules

We recently blogged about the Department of Labor’s new rule that extended FMLA rights to same-sex married couples . The DOL’s rule was set to take effect nationwide on March 27, 2015. A day before the rule was set to…

Why the “Epidemic” of FMLA Lawsuits?

The Administrative Office of the US Courts just reported a 26.3% jump in Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) lawsuits in 2014. These numbers are a bit startling. In 2012, there were 291 FMLA lawsuits. In 2013, there were…

DOL Extends FMLA Rights to Same-Sex Couples Nationwide

After the Supreme Court’s landmark 2013 ruling in United States v. Windsor found section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional, there was significant uncertainty regarding an employer’s obligations…