In recent months, at least four companies have gotten into trouble for failing to provide Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) notices to health plan participants. Suits of this nature can lead to big damages. Since 2015, courts have approved settlements ranging from $290,000 to $1 million. Damages include statutory penalties of $110 per day, awards to qualified beneficiaries as relief for damages that occur due to the failure to provide an adequate COBRA

Regardless of the size of your business, it’s critical that you work proactively to protect the sensitive and private information of your customers, clients and employees. While you might hear more often about data breaches at bigger companies, the reality is that smaller companies and organizations are often targeted and typically have limited data security protections in place. Your approach to protecting your company from a data breach must be comprehensive.

Under a new federal law, individuals have a right to post truthful negative reviews about a product or service provider. That’s the case even if they previously signed an agreement that prohibited such reviews. Over the past few years, this controversial business practice of including non-disparagement clauses in contracts or terms of service has led to a number of lawsuits. These so-called “gag clauses” are intended to deter customers from writing negative reviews, and require them

Over the past couple of years, more than 200 plaintiffs have sued businesses nationwide arguing that their websites fail to provide access to people with certain disabilities, alleging a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. More recently, a law firm based in Pittsburgh sent demand letters to businesses, banks and others saying that they were willing to “work constructively” toward compliance for a fee. While court rulings on whether the ADA applies to websites have

It’s becoming popular for companies to pay social media users with big followings to endorse their products or share content about their brand. It’s a great way to get your message out to a wider network of target customers in an authentic way. But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is paying attention and enforcing rules that say you can’t do it without disclosing the relationship. Recently, the FTC reached settlements with such brands as Lord &