Canadian Corporations Acquiring U.S. Target Companies in Tax-Deferred Transactions: When Business Activities Outside the U.S. Matter

In transactions in which a Canadian corporation seeks to acquire a U.S. target entity for shares of the Canadian acquiror in a transaction intended to be tax-deferred for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the ability of U.S. shareholders of the U.S. target to qualify for tax-deferral may depend on the activities the Canadian acquiror conducts...

OSHA Releases Updated Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace

On August 13, 2021, the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) released updated guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace to reflect changes in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) guidance for fully vaccinated individuals in response to the spread of the Delta variant.  The guidance...

New NASDAQ Board Diversity Disclosure Rules

As discussed in more detail here, on August 6, 2021, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) approved NASDAQ Rules 5605(f) and 5606, which require each NASDAQ listed company (subject to certain narrow exceptions) to (i) publicly disclose, to the extent permitted by applicable law, information on the voluntary self disclosed gender, racial...

The Lights Could Go Out on Over-the-Counter Companies on September 28, 2021

On September 28, 2021, companies trading in the United States over-the-counter securities markets (“OTC Markets”) that do not comply with amended Rule 15c-211 will no longer be eligible for quotation on the OTC Markets, effectively eliminating their public quotation in the United States. Amended Rule 15c-211 requires that broker-dealers obtain and review basic information about...

New EEOC Guidance on COVID-19 Vaccinations in the Workplace

On May 28, 2021, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) released new guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace.  The new guidance clarifies some significant issues, including whether employers may require U.S. employees to be vaccinated (at least as a matter of U.S. federal law) and the types of incentives they may provide...

President Biden’s Made in America Tax Plan Would Treat More Cross-border Transactions as Inversion Transactions

Generally, an “inversion” is a transaction in which a non-U.S. corporation directly or indirectly acquires substantially all of the properties held by a U.S. corporation or partnership, after which the former owners of that U.S. corporation or partnership are in control of the acquiring non-U.S. corporation. Inversion transactions can take many different forms.  Over the...

COVID-19 Safety Precautions Expose American Employers to New Wage and Hour Claims

Two former employees of Cresco Labs have filed a collective and class action complaint in Illinois federal court, alleging that their employer failed to compensate its employees for time spent putting on and taking off personal protective equipment (“PPE”). Similarly, two employees of Walmart, Inc. filed a class and collective action complaint in California federal...

UK to Adopt New Powers Over M&A Activity to Protect National Security

Draft legislation currently being debated in the UK Parliament will introduce a new regime similar to that of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) while maintaining the UK’s position as an attractive forum for business and an openness to foreign investment. While the National Security and Investment Act (“NSIA”) will not...