News & Legal Updates Archive

A recent ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court has expanded the ability of plaintiffs to sue under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

FDA Final Rule regulating laboratory developed tests as medical devices vacated by U.S. District Court.

McDonald Hopkins is proud to announce that Crain's Detroit has recognized attorneys Mike Latiff and Tim Lowe as 2025 Notable Litigators and Trial Attorneys.

Employers, especially those with military-affiliated employees, must be aware of these changes: they greatly expand potential liability under USERRA, increase exposure to damages, and limit the defenses available to employers in legal disputes.

McDonald Hopkins welcomes Christina Gherlein as Counsel in the Intellectual Property Department

McDonald Hopkins is proud to announce the addition of Michael Croghan as a Member in the firm’s Litigation Department. Michael is an experienced litigator with a wealth of knowledge in resolving complex commercial disputes in a variety of industries.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an interim final rule that exempts domestic entities (i.e. entities formed in the U.S.) and U.S. persons from the reporting requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act.

Earlier this year the Ohio Supreme Court struck down an effort to dismantle public bodies’ use of consent agendas, a tool that enables officials to vote more efficiently on routine agenda items at meetings.

Give adequate notice. Ensure the opportunity for a hearing. And if the local code provides for these two things, follow the code. 

Ohio H.B. 257 authorizes generally unelected, unpaid public bodies to meet virtually or have members vote virtually under the Open Meetings Act but to take advantage of it, some preparation is necessary before the law goes into effect on April 8.

McDonald Hopkins attorneys Richard Blake, David Cupar and Franklin Malemud recognized as Cleveland's top litigators.

McDonald Hopkins is pleased to welcome Kevin Soucek as Counsel in the firm’s Intellectual Property Department. 

McDonald Hopkins is proud to mark its seventh year partnering with College Now.

The indictment of Uber's former executive is one example of the government's increasing pressure on businesses to comply with data privacy and security laws. Organizations that experience cybersecurity incidents should proceed with caution when responding to state and federal investigations into cyberattacks to mitigate additional business risks and civil and criminal liability. 

On March 14, 2025, the Senate passed a continuing resolution (CR) to extend current government funding through September 30, 2025, thereby avoiding an immediate government shutdown. This stopgap measure provides Congress additional time to negotiate and finalize a long-term budget resolution.

How private equity can offer founder-owners a step forward to scale and secure their legacy without burning out.

While the Trump administration's firings may disrupt or delay certain Consumer Financial Protection Bureau enforcement activities, financial institutions should continue to comply with applicable consumer data privacy and security laws.

Blair Dawson recognized as one of the Security Industry Association’s 2025 Women in Security Forum Power 100.

For now, board member Wilcox is re-employed and the NLRB can resume its operations, having the minimum three-member quorum needed to render decisions. However, this battle is far from over and is likely headed to the United States Supreme Court for a potentially historical reframing of the extent of the President’s authority over all executive branch employees. 

IP is a complex legal landscape governed by factors like value, ownership, jurisdiction, and timing. Understanding these nuances is crucial when protecting assets, making business decisions, or choosing legal counsel. Separating fact from fiction can mean the difference between securing an innovation or losing it.

McDonald Hopkins is proud to announce that Members Teresa Metcalf Beasley, Todd Benni, David Cupar, and Micah Marcus have been named a 2025 Thomson Reuters "Stand-Out Lawyer."

The Trump administration is pushing out directives in the form of executive orders targeting DEI initiatives that intend to affect federal contractors and private sector employers generally; however, the legality of these directives is uncertain. We recommend that federal contractors and private sector employers review their current recruiting, hiring, performance, and training policies and initiatives. In this article, we offer federal contractors a roadmap on what to review and how to spot red flags.

Given the uncertainty around the CTA reporting requirements and enforcement, we recommend clients wait to file until FinCEN or the Treasury Department issues further guidance. We will provide an update once the additional guidance is issued by FinCEN. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to McDonald Hopkins with any questions or concerns.

As of December 1, 2024, the State of Minnesota now requires public agencies, which includes school districts and colleges, to report cybersecurity incidents.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives have been a central focus for many companies seeking to foster inclusive workplaces. However, as legal scrutiny intensifies, businesses must carefully evaluate their DEI programs to ensure compliance with evolving employment law standards.

Our recent webinar, “Post Election Pulse Update: Employer Expectations Under the Trump administration,” provided an in-depth analysis of labor and employment policy changes that are anticipated or have already been implemented. In case you missed it, we've summarized key takeaways that employers need to know to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape.

McDonald Hopkins is proud to announce that attorneys Daivd Agay and Marc Carmel have been recognized on The Legal 500’s inaugural US Elite List. This honor highlights their exceptional Corporate M&A industry knowledge, and outstanding client service in the Chicago market and beyond.

A proposed Nebraska law would disallow ordinary negligence-based class action lawsuits against private entities that suffer cybersecurity events resulting in the compromise of nonpublic information or misuse of information systems.

Since taking office a mere month ago, President Donald Trump and his administration have taken significant steps towards eliminating DEI efforts in the federal government, higher education, and the business world. These efforts – including two executive orders – have faced significant opposition from various groups who have sought court intervention against the Trump administration.

Selling a business isn’t just a transaction—it’s a transition, and for some, it can be an emotional one. And if you’re not prepared, it can cost you time, money, and your peace.

Beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements under the Corporate Transparency Act are once again back in effect, and reporting companies have until March 21, 2025 to comply. 

On February 3, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity posted its Notice of Funding Opportunity to apply by May 8, 2025, for grants under the Illinois Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program.

President Donald Trump's administration rescinded Title IX guidance put forth by former President Joe Biden that would have resulted in significant changes to Name, Image, and Likeness (“NIL”) in college athletics, the Department of Education announced on Wednesday.

Following the demise of the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed national rule to ban non-compete agreements last year, a bi-partisan Senate Bill in Ohio has put the issue back on the table for the Buckeye State.

McDonald Hopkins is proud to announce the addition of Gabriella Dubsky as an Associate in the firm’s Business Department and Real Estate Practice Group. She will work out of the firm’s Chicago office.

Public bodies interested in meeting virtually under a new Ohio state law have another two months within which to prepare for the measure before it goes live.

Proponents of so-called public-law litigation — lawsuits seeking to vindicate broad social or political causes important to large numbers of people — were dealt a blow in December when the Ohio Supreme Court eliminated one path toward having state court judges hear those kinds of cases. The Martens decision should be welcomed by lawmakers and government regulators across the state for its elimination of a swath of plaintiffs who are not directly injured by the targets of their ire.

A city of Columbus citizen attempted to reverse the decision to rename Christopher Columbus Square Park, was alas dismissed in December by the trial court. The reason? The plaintiff lacked standing to sue the city government. In its motion to dismiss, the city argued he had not established that he was injured by the name change in a way that distinguished him from all other citizens, and thus he lacked traditional standing to sue the government.

We are proud to announce that our Chicago office is once again raising money for cancer research through Cycle for Survival, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's official rare cancer fundraiser, all under the stewardship of the Chicago office’s Managing Member: Marc Carmel. Marc was recently appointed to Cycle for Survival's Chicago Leadership Community. In this Q&A, Marc shares his personal experiences and insights regarding the fundraiser and his passion for the cause.

Ohio has passed the Pay Stub Protection Act that mandates that employers provide detailed earnings and deductions statements to all employees. Here’s what you need to know about the new law and its implications for businesses and workers in Ohio. The Act is effective April 9, 2025.

The Illinois Supreme Court recently held that a plaintiff in a data breach class action lacked standing, reasoning that an increased risk of future harm is not injury-in-fact and that a loan application using publicly available information did not show her private information had been stolen or misused. The case contains numerous points of interest for practitioners defending such cases or assisting clients with responding to data security incidents.

In recent years, data privacy legislation has seen significant activity across all industries. Last October, Ohio Senate Bill 29 officially went into effect. The new regulation implements requirements for school districts regarding student data privacy, technology contracts, and the tracking and monitoring the online activities of students.

On Tuesday, January 22, 2025, the Trump administration directed all federal health agencies to pause external communications through Feb. 1, 2025. As a result of the communication pause, policy information and guidance from HHS agencies may be delayed.

The NCAA and its power conferences recently agreed in principle to allow each school to share up to $20.5 million in direct payments to its athletes via name, image and likeness deals as one of the terms of a pending antitrust settlement. However, last week, the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (the Department) published a “fact-sheet” memorandum which throws a wrench into those plans. 

Two attorneys at McDonald Hopkins have been selected to the 2025 Illinois Super Lawyers list and three McDonald Hopkins attorneys have been selected to the 2025 Illinois Rising Stars list.

With the Trump administration's heightened focus on immigration compliance, employers must prioritize ensuring their Form I-9 processes are accurate and complete.

On January 3, 2025, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology published the new draft rules under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.

Dominic Paluzzi, co-chair of McDonald Hopkins' Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Practice Group, was featured in News 5 Cleveland's broadcast regarding a data breach affecting one of the largest student-information systems in the world.

This article originally appeared in Crain's Cleveland Business on January 13, 2025.

After a sluggish 2023, the mergers and acquisitions landscape improved in 2024, signaling the start of a promising recovery in deal activity. While deal volume increased and is approaching pre-pandemic levels, it has not reached the levels seen during the boom of 2021-22.

The recent decisions in the Pinnacle Foods bankruptcy case pending in the Eastern District of California highlight the difficulties that franchisees may have in filing for bankruptcy and seeking to assume a franchise agreement in jurisdictions where case law is not favorable or state law may conflict with the Bankruptcy Code.