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Monthly Archives: September 2020

Mitigating Civil Liability for California COVID-19 Work Exposures

September 30, 2020 As we enter the tenth month of this pandemic, it is becoming increasingly clear that life must, and will, return to some degree of post-pandemic ‘normalcy’ in order to ensure our economic survival. At the same time, managing and mitigating the risks associated with COVID-19 become increasingly critical to avoiding a second wave, and ensuring the viability of economic reopening.  This will likely be true even if a ‘silver-bullet’ vaccine becomes widely available. Therefore, it is vital […]

Not to be Overlooked: Understanding AB 685 and Preparing for an Invisible Risk

September 22, 2020 On September 17, 2020, Governor Newsom signed AB 685 into law, further expanding and solidifying legislation created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The law will become effective as of January 1, 2021. We have provided a breakdown of the law and recommendations for how our clients can best handle and prepare for the changes to Cal/OSHA regulations and procedures. AB 685 expands both reporting and notification requirements for employers, and increases Cal/OSHA’s authority to issue Stop […]

Breaking News: Governor Newsom Signs SB 1159 Into Law

September 17, 2020 As anticipated in our previous Flash Bulletin, Governor Newsom has signed SB 1159 into law, continuing and expanding upon the presumptions put into place in the previous executive order regarding industrial causation of COVID-19 claims. The law is effective immediately as of September 17, 2020. Over the coming days, we will be providing our immediate thoughts on the impact of the new bill, commenting on any changes made to the bill between when it was sent to […]

Governor Newsom Poised to Sign SB 1159: A Primer on Continuation and Expansion of COVID-19 Presumptive Injuries

September 2, 2020 Ever since Governor Newsom’s May 7th Executive Order N-63-20 established a new paradigm for claims handling in the era of COVID-19, the workers’ compensation world has waited with bated breath for the inevitable legislation which the order promised would be soon to follow. As different versions of the bill that would ultimately become SB-1159 worked its way through the chambers of the California Legislature, there has been much speculation—and trepidation—about what the final text of the bill […]