On December 22, 2009, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it has reached the H-1B statutory cap for Fiscal Year 2010 as of December 21, 2009.  A lottery will be held for all cap-subject petitions received on December 21, 2009, and the USCIS will reject all petitions subject to the statutory cap not randomly […]

On Monday December 21, 2009, President Obama signed legislation extending the government’s subsidy of COBRA benefits. The subsidies were due to expire on December 31, 2009. Under the new law, the maximum subsidy period is increased from 9 months to 15 months and includes individuals currently receiving the subsidy, which was set to expire at […]

On November 23, 2009, the New Jersey Legislature introduced identical bills (A4198/S12) that would prohibit employers from discriminating (denying employment) against persons who have been convicted of a criminal offense or because the applicant lacks “good moral character” based upon a prior conviction. Employers would be exempt from the proposed prohibition if (i) there is […]

Employers may be liable for sexual harassment committed by non-supervisory employees against co-workers even where the employer is unaware of the alleged conduct. In Cerdeira v. Martindale-Hubbell, Docket No. A-5855-06T1, the New Jersey Appellate Division held an employer may be liable under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (“NJLAD”) for the harassing conduct committed by […]