News & Insights

OCR just announced its most recent HIPAA settlement, this time with an EMR vendor Medical Informatics Engineering, acting as a business associate. The enforcement action relates to a 2015 data breach caused by compromised user credentials. Consistent with recent trends, the agency continues to focus on the requireme… READ MORE

On Friday, May 3, Family Law partner Heidi Bloom was recognized for her service as the 2018-2019 Chair of the Family Law Section of the North Carolina Bar Association. Heidi previously served as Vice-Chair, CLE Committee Chair, and Council Member. The Family Law Section has over 1,300 members and as Chair, … READ MORE

SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE WHETHER TITLE VII PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION AGAINST LGBT EMPLOYEES On April 22, 2019, the Supreme Court of the United States granted certiorari in three cases involving the issue of whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”) prohibits discrimination on the bas… READ MORE

On March 20, 2019, the SEC adopted amendments to Regulation S-K to modernize and simplify certain disclosure requirements for public companies.  The amendments became effective on May 2, 2019. Under the new rules, reporting companies can take advantage of scaled-back disclosure requirements in reports and regis… READ MORE

Yesterday, North Carolina state Representatives Jason Saine (R), Brenden H. Jones (R), Robert T. Reives II (D), and Pricey Harrison (D) introduced a much-anticipated bill overhauling North Carolina’s Identity Theft Protection Act. The bill, developed in close cooperation with Attorney General Josh Stein, would… READ MORE

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently issued its first formal (though legally non-binding) guidance on when digital assets (typically recorded on a blockchain ledger and called “Tokens” or “Coins”) meet the legal definition of a “security.” The Framework for “… READ MORE

Introduction Typically, the employee benefits offered by a company include not only its retirement plans (discussed in Part 1 of this Practice Brief) but also its health and welfare plans. In addition to medical insurance and prescription drug coverage (together, often known as a “health plan”), compani… READ MORE

Privacy concerns and data security breaches pervade the news. The deluge of social media scandals, massive data breaches, constant phishing schemes designed to perpetrate fraud, and persistent reports of foreign actors committing cyber attacks are exacerbating anxiety over data misuse and se… READ MORE

On December 18, 2018, the SEC adopted a new rule that will require disclosure of an issuer’s hedging policies in proxy statements or information statements relating to the election of directors. The rule, which implements Section 955 of the Dodd-Frank Act and sets forth a new Item 407(i) of Regulation S-K, is … READ MORE

Get to know featured lawyer Michelle Connell in the February 2019 issue of North Carolina Super Lawyers. In the quick Q&A, she discusses the most fascinating person she's ever met and what she would be doing if she weren't organizing trial notebooks. Read Discovery with Michelle D. Connell here. READ MORE