O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C. Covid-19 Resources

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

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kelly condon
Margarita Castaneda
oneil cannon hollman dejong 38 laing s.c.
James DeJong
douglas dehler
Peter Faust
Joseph Gumina
Marguerite Hammes
Jessica Haskell
Jessica K. Haskell
Grant Killoran
Kelly Kuglitsch
Britany Morrison
Ryan Onosko
Erica Reib
Jason Scoby
Steve J. Slawinski

Latest from O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong & Laing S.C. Covid-19 Resources

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Attorney Joseph Gumina was recently quoted in the Milwaukee Business Journal published on January 14, 2022, in an article titled “Employers relieved that SCOTUS ruling nixes potential for costly employee COVID-19 tests: Attorneys.” The article outlines the Supreme Court’s recent ruling against OSHA’s vaccination-or-test rule that would have required large employers, starting February 9, to mandate employee vaccinations or require weekly COVID-19 testing of unvaccinated workers.
In the article, Gumina discusses what employers should expect and what he has…
Continue Reading Attorney Joseph Gumina Recently Quoted in the Milwaukee Business Journal

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The U.S. Supreme Court just issued a decision blocking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Emergency Temporary Standard that would require employers with 100 or more employees to impose either a mandatory vaccination policy or, alternatively, mandate that unvaccinated workers be required to wear a face covering while at work and be subject to a COVID-19 test every seven days.  The Court’s three liberal Justices, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan, and Sonia Sotomayor all dissented. This is a breaking story…
Continue Reading Employment LawScene Alert: U.S. Supreme Court Halts OSHA’s Vaccination-or-Test Emergency Temporary Standard

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order (found here) that it would hold a special session to hear arguments on OSHA’s vaccine-or-test rule that mandates employers with 100 or more employees require its employees to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus or be subject to weekly tests. The Court issued its order in response to emergency applications for an administrative stay in response to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit’s 2-1 decision…
Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court to Hold Special Session on January 7, 2022 to Review Federal Vaccine Mandates

On Friday, December 17, 2021, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit lifted the stay of OSHA’s emergency temporary standard (ETS) mandating COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace or, alternatively, requiring unvaccinated employees to submit to weekly COVID-19 tests. The stay was originally issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on November 5, 2021, when the Fifth Circuit held that OSHA had exceeded its statutory and constitutional authorities when it…
Continue Reading Sixth Circuit Lifts Stay of OSHA’s Vaccination Mandate–OSHA Follows by Announcing Enforcement Policy

On Tuesday, November 16, 2021, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation held a lottery-style drawing to select which of the 12 federal circuit court of appeals where petitions for review are currently pending as to which circuit will hear the challenges to OSHA’s emergency temporary standard mandating COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace. Through that lottery process, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit was selected. As a result, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued…
Continue Reading Sixth Circuit Selected to Hear Challenges to OSHA’s COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate

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On Friday, November 12, 2021, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a 22-page decision (linked here) continuing its November 6th order that stayed the implementation and enforcement of OSHA’s emergency temporary standard mandating COVID-19 vaccinations in the workplace. In a strong rebuke of the Biden’s Administration’s desire to vaccinate as many Americans as possible through use of OSHA’s emergency temporary standard provision (29 U.S.C. § 655(c)) found in the Occupational Safety and Health…
Continue Reading Employment LawScene Alert: Fifth Circuit Issues Strong Rebuke of OSHA’s Authority to Mandate Vaccinations in the Workplace–OSHA Suspends Efforts

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Austin Malinowski and Grant Killoran authored an article in the June, 2021 edition of the Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, entitled “The Legal Treatment of Vaccine Injury Claim.” Their article analyzes how claims for vaccine injury, including claims related to the newly-developed COVID-19 vaccines, are handled under existing law, including the statutory processes applicable to such claims.
Read the full article here.
Continue Reading Attorneys Austin Malinowski and Grant Killoran Published in the Wisconsin Lawyer

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. Among a wide variety of other aims, the $1.9 trillion bill extended tax incentives for certain employers that chose to provide their employees with qualifying paid leave related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In March 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) was signed into law. The FFCRA contained two leave components: the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (“EPSLA”) and the Emergency and Family and Medical…
Continue Reading American Rescue Plan Extends Tax Credits for COVID-Related Leave

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On Saturday, President Biden signed into law the COVID-19 Bankruptcy Relief Extension Act of 2021. This act extends the $7.5 million debt limitation under the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SBRA) for another year, until March 27, 2022.
Last year, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) to provide emergency assistance for individuals and businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act temporarily increased the debt limitation under the SBRA from $2,725,625 …
Continue Reading $7.5 Million Debt Limitation for Small Business Debtors Extended

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Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will provide financial assistance for COVID-19-related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020.
FEMA estimates that qualifying families can expect reimbursements of $3,000 to $7,000 out of the program’s total budget of $2 billion.
To be eligible for funeral assistance, you must meet the following conditions:

  • The death must have occurred in the United

…
Continue Reading FEMA Launches COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program

Recently, Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin (ABC of Wisconsin) featured Attorney Joseph Gumina’s article entitled “Encouraging Rather Than Mandating COVID-19 Vaccinations May Be An Employer’s Best Option”. In this article, Attorney Gumina discusses some of the challenges employers may face with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy and suggests alternative options for employers to consider. Attorney Gumina plans to provide updates to this ongoing issue in the upcoming workforce focused magazine—Wisconsin Merit Shop Contractor.
Attorney Gumina’s article is…
Continue Reading Attorney Gumina’s Article on Employer Covid-19 Vaccination Policies was Featured by ABC of Wisconsin

Attorneys Marguerite Hammes and Grant Killoran authored an article in the February, 2021 edition of the Wisconsin Lawyer magazine, entitled “COVID-19 Vaccination: Legal Landscape & Challenges.” Their article analyzes the authority of Wisconsin public health officials regarding mass vaccination for COVID-19 and the circumstances under which individuals can object to vaccination requirements.
Read the full article here.
Continue Reading Attorneys Marguerite Hammes and Grant Killoran Published in the Wisconsin Lawyer

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In our series discussing the new workplace initiatives under the Biden Administration, we will first look at the Biden Administration’s efforts on protecting worker health and safety.
Simply, under the Biden Administration, employers should expect to see a more robust Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), meaning ramped-up OSHA enforcement efforts, including more workplace inspections, more whistleblower protection, and the likely issuance of an emergency temporary standard to address the hazards of COVID-19 in the workplace. In light of…
Continue Reading Employment LawScene Alert: Workplace Safety is a Top Priority for the Biden Administration

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A little less than a month ago, the IRS reversed its original  position, and stated that businesses can deduct expenses paid for with the proceeds of a forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, as further detailed here.  However, in guidance issued on Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue clarified that expenses that are paid with the forgivable PPP funds (in the first round) are not deductible for Wisconsin income/franchise tax purposes and must be added back to Wisconsin…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Department of Revenue Says Expenses Paid with First Round Forgiven PPP Loans are Not Deductible

Attorney Britany Morrison authored an article entitled “Telecommuting: Tax Implications for Employers & Employees,” which appeared in the State Bar of Wisconsin’s newsletter, InsideTrack.
In the article,  Morrison addresses a few important tax considerations for employers and employees working remotely. You can read the full article here.
For more information on this topic, contact Britany Morrison at 414-276-5000 or Britany.Morrison@wilaw.com.
Continue Reading Britany Morrison Published in State Bar’s InsideTrack

Businesses can now deduct expenses paid for with the proceeds of a forgiven Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. The IRS, in Revenue Ruling 2021-2 issued today, reversed its original position that prohibited businesses with PPP loans from “double-dipping” by paying expenses with a forgivable loan, then writing off those expenses. Congress, in the latest COVID-19 relief bill, as we explained further here, explicitly stated that such expenses were deductible, forcing the IRS to reverse course.

This ruling is…
Continue Reading IRS Says Expenses Paid with Forgiven PPP Loans are Deductible