Last week, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released a final rule to impose additional restrictions under the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) on persons and entities identified under 14 sanctions programs, on the List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) maintained by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
Read moreOn February 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control issued Venezuela General License (GL) 45B and, on March 1, 2024, published related Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) 1167 and updated FAQs 1137 and 1141. GL 45B and its related FAQs follow previous actions by the U.S. government to reimpose Venezuela-related sanctions (see our previous alert, “U.S. Reimposes Venezuela Sanctions Following Actions by Maduro Government”) and narrow the scope of certain transactions previously authorized under U.S. sanctions laws.
Read moreIn February, the Kentucky Supreme Court struck a blow to legislators’ attempts to extend the statute of limitations applicable to child sexual abuse claims against third parties such as schools, government employers, or churches.
Read moreOn July 1, 2023, a new Florida law (Senate Bill 264) went into effect, restricting foreign investment in Florida real estate from specific countries, and enacting a near-ban on property purchases by Chinese, Russian and other foreign nationals.
Read moreOn March 6, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released its long-awaited final climate-related disclosure rule for U.S. public companies. This groundbreaking regulation mandates that publicly traded companies provide information in their annual reports and registration statements regarding the climate risks they face, their plans to address those risks, the financial impact of severe weather events, and, in certain circumstances, greenhouse gas emissions originating from their operations.
Read moreIn Zephyrus Aviation Capital, LLC, et al vs. Berkshire Hathaway International Insurance Limited, et al., Case No. CACE-23002230 (17th Jud. Cir. FL, June 30, 2023), the plaintiffs, aviation leasing, servicing, and management companies, brought suit seeking coverage for the alleged loss of use and possession of the aircraft resulting from the Ukraine crisis.
Read moreOn March 1, 2024, a federal district court in the Northern District of Alabama, Northeastern Division, entered a final declaratory judgment in the case of National Small Business United v. Yellen, No. 5:22-cv-01448 (N.D. Ala.) declaring the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) unconstitutional. The Court concluded that the CTA exceeded Congress’s constitutional powers and permanently enjoined FinCEN from enforcing it against the plaintiffs. The judgment has left many questioning its impact, wondering whether they should continue to report beneficial ownership to FinCEN or wait for final disposition of the case.
Read moreOn February 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Department of Commerce announced significant new Russia-related sanctions on more than 500 entities.
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