A recent Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruling makes clear that an employer’s obligation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide employees with a discrimination-free workplace takes precedence over patient or customer preferences regarding the race of employees from whom they receive services. The court held, in Chaney v. Plainfield […]
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For the first time in nearly 100 years, extremely wealthy individuals who pass away this year will leave enormous estates to friends and family tax-free. Since 1916, the estates of America’s wealthiest individuals have been subject to a federal estate tax. Over the years the minimum value has fluctuated, but the tax has remained in […]
In Wisconsin, any person of sound mind who is at least eighteen years old is presumed capable of making a will. A will should be created voluntarily and express how the testator desires his or her property to be distributed upon death. However, when another person’s influence over the testator becomes so strong it overpowers […]
Wisconsin has finally joined the vast majority of states who have repealed bulk transfer laws. The repeal of Wisconsin’s bulk transfer law, Chapter 406 of the Wisconsin statutes, became effective February 5, 2010. Forty-five states have now dropped their bulk transfer requirements, according to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (“NCCUSL”). Wisconsin […]
This past week, the City of Milwaukee completed its annual revaluation of all homes and business properties for real estate tax assessment purposes and reported a 2.4% cumulative drop in property values from 2009 to 2010. Other communities may be announcing annual revaluations for tax assessment purposes over the next few weeks or months. Whether […]
The United States Supreme Court has decided to review a Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) case in which the U.S Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit held that an employee could not maintain an action for retaliation under the FLSA for his termination based upon his verbal complaints to his employer that the time […]
On April 15, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Continuing Extension Act of 2010, which has once again extended the COBRA premium subsidy as provided for in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”); this time the subsidy has been extended from March 31, 2010 to May 31, 2010. This new law […]
The Homebuyer Tax Credit is scheduled to expire soon. To take advantage of the tax credit, homebuyers must enter into a binding contract to purchase a home before May 1, 2010, and they must close on the home before July 1, 2010. Not surprisingly, many unmarried couples have sought to take advantage of the tax […]
Effectively drafting estate plans for married individuals with children from a prior marriage can be a challenge. Failure to properly plan can cause divisive family disputes. There are many variables to be considered and competing interests that need to be balanced when preparing an appropriate plan. A common concern is that the spouses want to […]
The article, published in the American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Committee on Health Law Litigation’s Winter 2010 Health Law Litigation Newsletter, discusses the common law development of a radiologist’s duty to directly communicate his or her findings to a treating physician, and how the American College of Radiology’s attempt to provide guidance to radiologists […]
