Managing Automotive Blog

Earlier this week, we published an Alert that reviews the EEOC’s recent guidance entitled What Employers Should Know about the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and COVID-19. This Alert reviews the additional guidance that the EEOC issued on March 19.

Employers and workers’ compensation insurers face a potentially huge number of claims for coverage by employees sickened with the coronavirus. State workers’ compensation statutes, however, will erect significant evidentiary hurdles which those claimants must overcome.

Further to our previously issued insurance Legal Alerts concerning potential coverage for coronavirus-related claims, we now focus on recent action by insurance regulators—in particular, Maryland.

After a short delay due to opposition among Senate Republicans, Congressional leaders in Washington have passed H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act—the second comprehensive spending package in response to the coronavirus outbreak.

As businesses are forced to close, travel is restricted, and supply chains are disrupted, it is a certainty that the COVID-19 virus will engender a plethora of insurance claims affecting all lines of coverage, particularly property and general liability coverages.

Only fully-automated services allowed.

Many companies that have suffered business income disruptions and losses as a result of the coronavirus are asking their insurance brokers if there is coverage for such losses under the business interruption or contingent business interruption provisions of their all-risk insurance policies. 

On March 10, the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division issued guidelines that address many Fair Labor Standards Act issues that have arisen due to the COVID 19 pandemic. This Alert identifies some of the highlights.

Vehicle manufacturers say they haven’t yet had to close factories in Europe. But a decline in global sales is likely to be worse than expected.

Companies across the country are canceling meetings and events over travel concerns because of the coronavirus.

A representative for a plaintiffs lawyers advocacy and lobbying group told lawmakers that any legislation on autonomous vehicles must avoid barring claims under state law so that people injured by automated driving can hold the carmaker accountable.

A U.S. House panel heard from advocates of imposing stricter safeguards for self-driving cars as part of any effort to speed the adoption of the vehicles on U.S. roads.

Frustrated with federal inaction, California aims to build a “mini” version of a federal agency that is tasked with consumer protection.

General Motors, Honda, Nissan, Renault, and a number of automotive suppliers have significant operations in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the Coronavirus outbreak.

Toyota isn’t one to step away from the roulette table.

Toyota wants to fly.

If you can’t beat them, join them!

The Trump administration updated its federal policy for developing self-driving cars, reinforcing safety guidelines and unifying federal agencies’ efforts while promising to ease any regulatory barriers to U.S. innovation and competitiveness in the space.

Carlos Ghosn, the renowned former CEO of Nissan & Renault, who brokered the Japanese & French carmarkers’ alliance with Mitsubishi, brazenly escaped from house arrest in Tokyo, Japan on December 30, 2019.

Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have joined forces to jointly oppose a new California labor law, Assembly Bill 5, which took effect on January 1, 2020.

Nissan North America Inc. and its financing arm forced New Jersey dealers into $20 million in predatory loans that financed an overabundance of inventory the car giant ordered them to carry amid corporate pressure to raise sales, according to a brief filed Tuesday in federal court.

Fiat Chrysler and PSA of France said that they had agreed to the terms of a merger that would create the world’s fourth largest automaker.

A downstate dealer scored a victory in a franchise law case that could have major implications on how automobile brokering affects manufacturers’ performance metrics.

Arent Fox’s Automotive Group Chair, Aaron Jacoby, was quoted in an Automotive News article.

I ask any dealer who has ever questioned the value of membership in state and metro dealer associations to pay very close attention to this article.