Does your HOA comply with the new Corporate Transparency Act? Beginning January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) requires many small businesses to report information about the association and individuals who exercise “substantial control” over the business. Most homeowner’s associations will also need to report.These reports are filed online with the Treasury Department’s Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN). If your association was formed before January 1, 2024, you have until the end of 2024 to file. The reports must be updated when changes occur. Failing to report can result in criminal and civil penalties.A homeowner association must report (1) the

Texas Court Halts FTC's Noncompete Ban in a Limited Ruling More than 30 million Americans are currently subject to a non-compete agreement. Two months ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enacted a rule, effective September 4, 2024, that would invalidate all such agreements, except those applicable to senior executives. However, on July 3, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted a temporary injunction preventing the FTC from enforcing the new rule, albeit only applicable to the parties in the case. Ryan LLC, a small tax preparation firm in Northern Texas, and the U.S. Chamber of

Court of Appeals Solidifies What Constitutes an Insurable Interest Insurance companies have developed a reputation among some observers for frequently avoiding paying out bona fide claims. Recently, Allstate inadvertently reinforced this conception by arguing that a woman did not have an “insurable interest” in her home when it burnt down, because the bank was seeking to evict her. In Hope Federal Credit Union v. Griffin, the Tennessee Court of Appeals clarified what counts as an “insurable interest” in real property. Here, the question arose whether Allstate was required, pursuant to its insurance policy with Ms. Griffin, to reimburse her for additional living

New Filing Requirements Imposed on Corporations Effective January 1, 2024, the Corporate Transparency Act requires many  companies to make reports with information about the company and individuals who exercise "substantial control" of the company with the Treasury Department's Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN).The reports are filed on-line and the process is relatively easy for a single company. For companies with subsidiaries, the process can be more complicated. There are exemptions, but most of those exemptions do not apply to a small business. There are both civil and criminal penalties if you do not comply with the filing requirements of the Act.If

EEOC Issues Finalized Guidance for Harassment in the Workplace The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released its Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace on April 29, 2024. The Guidance obtained approval from a majority vote of the EEOC commissioners, who considered 38,000 public comments on the EEOC’s proposed harassment guidance, issued October 2, 2023. The EEOC’s stated aim for the Guidance is to “help people feel safe on the job and assist employers in creating respectful workplaces.”To reach this aim, the Guidance lists new kinds of discriminatory behavior, such as online harassment in virtual work environments, refusal to use a

Wilson Worley Attorney Bob Arrington recently appeared on the "Latte With a Lawyer" Podcast sponsored by EmotionTrac, a vendor of case preparation software. During his time as a guest, Arrington discussed his impressive career, his current practice, as well as the Firm. To listen and learn more of Attorney Arrington's career, the link to the Podcast is here.

Our office will be closed Monday, July 3rd and Tuesday, July 4th in observance of Independance Day!