The New Jersey Supreme Court’s recent decision in East Bay Drywall, LLC v. Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Docket No. A-7-21 (August 2, 2022), provides guidance as to the perils that may arise when businesses misclassify workers as independent contractors rather than employees. Under the state’s Unemployment Compensation Law (UCL), the “ABC Test” is used to determine whether certain workers are properly classified as employees or independent contractors. See N.J.S.A. 43:21-19(i)(6)(A)-(C). The court’s new decision is significant because it held that a contractors’ establishment of a separate corporate structure through which to render services may not suffice to establish independent contractor status under the ABC Test.

With the passage of Assembly Bill 2777 (AB 2777), also known as the Sexual Abuse and Cover Up Accountability Act, by its State Senate on August 25, 2022, California is one step closer to reviving sexual assault claims for which the statute of limitations has expired. 

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is seeking input on the development of government-wide natural capital accounts and standardized environmental-economic statistics. The Administration intends for these new metrics to be used in benefit-cost analyses associated with agency actions and to measure risks in the environmental, social, and governance (ESG), and lending contexts.