Backlog of tax filings may leave taxpayers asking, ‘Where is my refund?’

One positive to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an explosion in the number of entrepreneurs starting their own small businesses. Many did it out of necessity after losing their job, but many others saw the pandemic as a wake-up call to follow their dreams. Whatever the motivation, a record 5.4 million new business applications were filed in the United States in 2021.

Franklin v. Whole Foods Market Group Inc. et al (U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-04935) involves a man who served 23 years in prison following a conviction for second degree murder. Upon his release, he applied for a grocery delivery job at Cornucopia Logistics, which serves Amazon and Whole Foods. Upon discovering that the job applicant, Henry Franklin, had misled the company by answering “no” when asked if he had a criminal record, the company denied him employment, citing the applicant’s untruthful answer as the reason for not hiring him.

As the Bills Mafia heads home in disappointment from Kansas City, Buffalo Bills LLC itself is in a position to complete the U.S. Trademark application process for the "Bills Mafia" trademark in standard characters (SN 90248260) and in a design format (SN 90248264).

With a minor modification to the description of medical mask products in International Class 10, both marks have now been  "allowed" by the USPTO for a wide variety of clothing ranging from aprons and baseball caps to wool hats and wrist bands. 

On January 6, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law that expands the admissibility of statements made by a party’s agent or employee. The goal of the update to the law is to expand the “speaking agent” exception to the rule against hearsay. If this sounds like a lot of legal speak, hang in there because it is actually a very important evolution in the law that will benefit injured workers.

As we approach year three of the COVID-19 pandemic, a dramatic change has occurred for renters and landlords in New York State.

The state legislature declined to further extend the eviction moratorium that has been in place since 2020. Under the moratorium, outside of a few exceptions, landlords were unable to evict tenants if the tenant claimed a COVID-19 hardship. 

On January 13, 2022 the United States Supreme Court ruled on two watershed cases related to the mandatory vaccination of workers in America against the COVID-19 virus. Already the questions have been coming in from employers wondering, ‘what impact does this have on my business operations?’

A State Supreme Court Judge dismissed a lawsuit last month brought by a group of landlords challenging the eviction moratorium that remains in place in New York.

The Buffalo Music Hall of Fame inducted Gross Shuman P.C. Attorney Les Greenbaum as part of its Class of 2021. Mr.  Greenbaum was enshrined as part of the Rick James Stone City Family. 

Each year at this time, we find it valuable to offer a few reminders to our clients and community when it comes to hosting holiday gatherings for your employees.

Much ado was made earlier this year when the NCAA announced that for the first time, student athletes would be allowed to profit from the use of their name, image and likeness. 

Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) revised its guidelines on religious exemptions to employer vaccine mandates.

The email scandal involving now-former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden offers an opportunity to remind both employers and employees that the “e” in email frequently stands for “evidence.”

Many individuals and businesses make charitable gifts during the holiday season. In addition to being a time of increased need for many non-profits, gifts made before the end of the tax year can bring income tax benefits.

This week, some good news came in the form of a Landlord Rental Assistance Program announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul. The program will provide $125 million in rental relief to a targeted group of landlords.

In New York State, drivers are required to carry liability insurance. But that doesn’t mean they all do. A 2021 study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) found more than 12 percent of drivers on the road do not have auto insurance. That equates to roughly one in eight drivers.

President Biden recently proposed major tax changes with the aim of generating billions in additional revenue to fund the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan.

New York State has now designated COVID-19 as a “highly contagious communicable disease” as defined under the New York Health and Essential Rights (HERO) Act.

Buffalo, New York finds itself the epicenter of a controversial drive by Starbucks workers to unionize. For years, workers at the corporate coffee behemoth have complained about labor practices related to staffing, sick leave, and a general lack of support from management.

Once again the New York State Legislature, with the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul, extended the residential and commercial eviction and foreclosure moratorium, this time until January 15, 2022.

In a case that offers a glimmer of hope for New York landlords struggling to hold onto rental properties in the wake of COVID-19, the Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a segment of New York’s eviction moratorium.