A recent surge of ERISA class action litigation challenges employer wellness programs that impose penalties on individuals who use tobacco. HIPAA generally prohibits group health plans from treating similarly situated individuals differently based on a health factor, including tobacco usage. An exception to this general rule applies to wellness programs that meet certain requirements. The following requirements apply to tobacco surcharge programs: Eligible individuals must have the opportunity to avoid the surcharge at least once a year. The tobacco surcharge imposed (together with the incentives for the employer’s other health-contingent wellness programs) cannot exceed 50% of the total coverage costs… Read more
Continuano i rapidi sviluppi sull’applicazione del Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), con il Dipartimento del Tesoro che ha scavalcato la FinCEN, proponendo di restringere notevolmente il CTA in modo che l’obbligo di presentazione si applichi solo alle società dichiaranti straniere. Domenica 2 marzo u.s., il Dipartimento del Tesoro ha annunciato che non applicherà sanzioni o multe nei confronti di cittadini statunitensi o di società dichiaranti locali o dei loro titolari effettivi dopo l’entrata in vigore delle modifiche alle regole di segnalazione delle informazioni sulla proprietà effettiva (BOI). Per attuare questo cambiamento nell’approccio all’applicazione delle norme, il Dipartimento del Tesoro ha dichiarato… Read more
The rapid developments under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) continue, with the Treasury Department coming in over the top of FinCEN, proposing to greatly narrow the CTA so that filing obligations will only apply to foreign reporting companies. On Sunday, March 2, the Treasury Department announced that it will not be enforcing penalties or fines against U.S. citizens or domestic reporting companies or their beneficial owners after forthcoming changes take effect to the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting rules. To implement this shift in the approach to enforcement, the Treasury Department stated that it will be issuing a proposed rulemaking… Read more
In the most recent turn of events in the saga that is the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), FinCEN has announced that although filings remain technically required it will not issue any fines or penalties or take any other enforcement action against any companies that fail to file beneficial ownership information (BOI) reports by the current March 21, 2025, deadline. In a release dated February 27, 2025, FinCEN stated that they intended to issue an “interim final rule” no later than March 21 that would extend BOI reporting deadlines (with no indication as to the length of any such further extension)…. Read more
The SECURE 2.0 Act requires catch-up contributions (i.e., additional retirement plan contributions made by participants who are age 50 or older) made by higher-income participants to be designated as after-tax Roth contributions (the “Mandatory Roth Catch-up Requirement”). This new Mandatory Roth Catch-up Requirement was originally scheduled to take effect for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2023. However, the IRS granted an administrative transition period (through December 31, 2025) during which catch-up contributions made by higher-income participants were treated as satisfying the requirements even if they were not designated as Roth (see IRS Notice 2023-62). In January, the Department of… Read more
In two recent decisions, the New York Appellate Division held that a limited liability company (“LLC”) that does not sign its own operating agreement is not bound by the terms of that agreement; only its signatory members are bound. This holding opens the door to the unwelcome dynamic where LLC members may be bound to the bargained for rights and obligations by which they intended to govern the LLC, but the LLC is not. The operating agreement of an LLC is generally accepted as the foundational document of any LLC, providing for how the company will be governed as well… Read more
Gli obblighi di segnalazione delle informazioni sul beneficiario effettivo (BOI) ai sensi della nota Legge CTA sono ufficialmente tornati in vigore. Il 18 febbraio 2025, la Corte distrettuale degli Stati Uniti per il distretto orientale del Texas ha accolto l’appello del Dipartimento del Tesoro degli Stati Uniti per la sospensione dell’ordinanza del tribunale che concedeva un’ingiunzione preliminare a livello nazionale contro l’applicazione del Corporate Transparency Act nella causa Smith vs. U.S. Department of the Treasury. Poiché questa sentenza ha revocato l’unica ingiunzione nazionale rimasta sull’applicabilità del CTA, la FinCEN [United States Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network |… Read more
The reporting obligations for filing Beneficial Ownership Information Reports under the Corporate Transparency Act are officially back in effect. On February 18, 2025, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted the United States Department of the Treasury’s appeal for a stay of the court’s order granting a nationwide preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) in Smith v. U.S. Department of the Treasury. As this ruling lifted the only remaining national injunction on the enforceability of the CTA, FinCEN has stated that Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting requirements under the CTA… Read more
Il 5 febbraio 2025, il Dipartimento del Tesoro degli Stati Uniti ha presentato un ricorso presso la Corte distrettuale degli Stati Uniti per il Distretto orientale del Texas per ottenere la sospensione dell’ordinanza del tribunale che concedeva un’ingiunzione preliminare a livello nazionale contro l’applicazione del Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) nel caso Smith v. U.S. Department of the Treasury. Tra le sue argomentazioni, il governo ha citato la sentenza della Corte Suprema degli Stati Uniti nel caso Top Cop Shop del Texas, che ha concesso la sospensione di un’ingiunzione preliminare a livello nazionale che aveva bloccato l’applicazione del CTA emessa da… Read more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that the registration period for the fiscal year 2026 H-1B Cap will begin at noon Eastern on March 7, 2025, and will remain open until noon Eastern on March 24, 2025. During this period, employers can register each beneficiary for the selection process and pay the associated registration fee for each beneficiary electronically. By March 31, USCIS will notify employers of their selections via their online accounts. Selected beneficiaries will have 90 days to submit their H-1B petitions to USCIS for a visa start date of October 1. Key Changes for FY 2026 Registration… Read more
