O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C. Articles

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By: O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C.

Latest from O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C. Articles - Page 2

People forming a new business and selecting between the different entity types may be unaware of the impact the formation choice can have on future lawsuits. In particular, the citizenship of the business can be critical to determining whether a case belongs in state court or federal court when a dispute involves over $75,000. With the many considerations business owners have to weigh when forming a new entity, the effect on hypothetical litigation is unlikely to be of primary…
Continue Reading Determining the Citizenship of Businesses

‘Can I really be sued there?’ If you have ever asked that question, you’re not alone—many defendants sued outside of their home state wonder the same thing. For example, if a small family-owned Wisconsin business is sued in a Nevada court, its owners may rightly question whether that is proper.
The answer likely depends on the jurisdiction of the court in question. Personal jurisdiction—that is, a court’s authority over parties to a lawsuit—can be broad, but it is not

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Continue Reading Can I really be sued there?

A recent decision delivered by the Wisconsin Supreme Court has demonstrated that even a simple bar fight can have a drastic impact on Wisconsin’s legal precedent. Such decision occurred in the case of  Stroede v. Society Insurance and Railroad Station, LLC,  where the court ruled that the off-duty employee who escorted a drunk patron out of a bar does not have immunity from the negligence lawsuit that followed when the patron fell down a flight of stairs and suffered…
Continue Reading A Recent Supreme Court Decision Narrows the Scope of Trespasser Immunity

In a published opinion, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals confirmed that landlords who fail to provide timely statements explaining the basis for withholding funds from a residential tenant’s security deposit may be subject to criminal prosecution and potential jail time.

In State of Wisconsin v. Lasecki, 2020 WI App 36, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals affirmed a circuit court judgment convicting Lasecki, a landlord, of two misdemeanor counts of engaging in unfair trade practices for failing to either return…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Landlord Subjected to Tenancy in Jail

If you are upset or disagree with the provisions of a will, you may be wondering if you should challenge it. In this article, we discuss a few grounds for challenging a will and what may happen if your challenge is successful.
A will may be challenged for several reasons. However, being upset or disagreeing with the provisions of a will is not enough. Instead, here are a few grounds for challenging a will:
  • Lack of Formalities: The will

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Continue Reading Want to Challenge a Will? Here’s What You Should Know

In the past week, European data protection authorities have found substantial European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) violations and issued corresponding fines against high-profile companies. These decisions are informative for companies doing business in Europe as they indicate clear future enforcement priorities by European regulators.

On December 10, 2020, the French Data Protection Authority (“CNIL”) issued fines against Google (€100M; $120M) and Amazon (€35M; ~$43M) for improper use of cookies on their websites. Specifically, the CNIL found that…
Continue Reading European Data Privacy Watchdogs Take New Steps

As we have mentioned previously, there is no overarching federal data privacy law in the United States. By contrast, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regulates data privacy, including consumer data, in all sectors. Although there is no overarching federal data privacy law in the United States, there are a few sector-specific laws. In health care, for example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health…
Continue Reading Federal Trade Commission and Enforcement of Privacy Law

There has been a trend recently in the state of Wisconsin, and elsewhere, for attorneys to file lawsuits against hotel owners alleging that their websites are in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) because they are not accessible to disabled individuals. Specifically, the complaints allege that the hotel websites are in violation of the ADA because they fail to identify accessibility features, do not allow for booking of accessible rooms, and do not provide sufficient information regarding

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Continue Reading Is Your Hotel Website in Compliance with the ADA?

As we have previously covered, in our earlier article, Wisconsin businesses may be subject to the requirements of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Additionally, many states, including Wisconsin, and the federal government are considering similar data protection bills that may impact Wisconsin businesses. With overlapping obligations, compliance with data protection laws is an increasingly tricky business for most companies. To ensure that your company doesn’t inadvertently violate any…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Businesses and Complying with Consumer Data Protection Laws

Almost every organization in the world collects personal data from individuals, in one form or another. Indeed, most websites collect consumer information automatically. For this reason, every business must become familiar with relevant data protection laws and understand how to collect, store, use, and share data in compliance with these laws. Organizations that fail to comply with data privacy laws could incur substantial fines and other damaging consequences.
This blog post intends to give Wisconsin organizations a basic overview…
Continue Reading Overview of Data Protection Laws in Wisconsin

Yesterday, the Trump administration announced an order temporarily halting certain residential evictions until the end of the year. The eviction moratorium, which is being enacted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pursuant to its authority under Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. § 264 et seq.), seeks to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. The nationwide moratorium could apply to as many as 40 million residential tenants.

Despite its reach, the moratorium is…
Continue Reading Trump Administration Halts Residential Evictions Until December 31, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has forced most of us to stay home, and as a result, we are all looking for hobbies to pick up while we are social distancing. For some, quarantine hobbies have become Netflix binge watching or mastering bread baking. For others, creative passions and hobbies such as selling handmade crafts on Etsy or unwanted junk on eBay have become sources of income. If you are dabbling in a quarantine hobby that produces income, this article will…
Continue Reading Don’t Be Caught Off Guard by the Tax & Legal Consequences of Your New Quarantine Hobby (Part 2 of 3)

The coronavirus pandemic has forced most of us to stay home, and as a result, we are all looking for hobbies to pick up while we are social distancing. For some, quarantine hobbies have become Netflix binge watching or mastering bread baking. For others, creative passions and hobbies such as selling handmade crafts on Etsy or unwanted junk on eBay have become sources of income. If you are dabbling in a quarantine hobby that produces income, here are some…
Continue Reading Don’t Be Caught Off Guard by the Tax & Legal Consequences of Your New Quarantine Hobby (Part 1 of 3)

After months of delay trying to address COVID-19 issues, the 2020 Major League Baseball (“MLB”) season finally opened Thursday night with the New York Yankees defeating the Washington Nationals, 4-1, and the Los Angeles Dodgers pulling away from the San Francisco Giants for an 8-1 victory.   Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this season – assuming it is not called off because of COVID-19 outbreaks – will be unlike any prior MLB season. The regular season has been reduced from…
Continue Reading COVID-19  Raises Privacy Issues for Major-League Baseball

Today President Trump signed the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020 (the “Act”) to amend certain provisions of the CARES Act related to the forgiveness of loans under the Paycheck Protection Program  (“PPP”) and for a number of other purposes.Here are some of the key takeaways:

  • Deadline to Use the Loan Proceeds: Borrowers can now use their PPP loan over a period of 24 weeks, tripling the current covered period of eight weeks.[1]
  • Forgivable Uses of the

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Continue Reading New Act Provides More Flexibility to PPP Borrowers

On Friday, the SBA published its Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness Application, which includes instructions for completing the application.  The application can be found here.  Of note, the application contains further information with respect to the timing of paying and incurring payroll costs as that relates to calculating the amount eligible for forgiveness.  Additionally, the application provides certain borrowers (those with biweekly or more frequent payroll periods) flexibility in terms of when the eight-week “covered period” begins.O’Neil, Cannon,…
Continue Reading SBA Publishes PPP Loan Forgiveness Application