WV Business Divorce: Options When Your Business Relationship Fails
Have you ever heard of a "business divorce"? Everyone knows that a traditional divorce is the official end of a marital relationship. However, the term "divorce" is also being applied to the end of the relationship between business owners in West Virginia (WV), sometimes called a WV business divorce.
Chargeable Employer in a Hearing Loss Claim in WV
Most employers in West Virginia (WV) would never imagine that they would be deemed to be the chargeable employer in a hearing loss claim for an employee who worked a mere four days. But that's exactly what happened in a recent workers' compensation appeal before the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, Pioneer Pipe, Inc. v. Swain et al.
Idiopathic Falls and Workers Compensation In WV
How do courts decide whether injuries that result from on-the-job falls are compensable workers' compensation claims? Workplace falls are common and can lead to serious, even fatal injuries. No industry is free from the common hazard of idiopathic falls. As a result, many state court systems have considered the interplay between idiopathic falls and workers’ compensation, including the compensability of idiopathic falls.
Think Your WV Arbitration Clause Is Solid? Consider This…
Arbitration can be a less expensive, relatively simple alternative to formal court litigation. Policy at the federal level clearly supports the ability of contracting parties to choose arbitrators over judges to resolve disputes. Regardless, many state courts find creative ways to avoid contractual arbitration clauses. Consider a recent case heard twice by the West Virginia (WV) Supreme Court of Appeals—the case of Schumacher Homes v. Spencer, which determined the enforceability of a WV arbitration clause in the parties’ contract.
Give Proper Notice before Changing Employee Pay
Giving advance notice before pay change may not be in the forefront the mind of an employer. Sometimes, an employer’s attempt to navigate one new rule, regulation or law results in action that is governed by a completely different set of rules, regulations, or laws. Such was the case with proposed changes in federal labor laws under an Obama-era United States Department of Labor (DOL) proposed “final rule” that would have increased the minimum salary for exempt employees. Anticipating that new rule, some employers adjusted employee pay, hours, or exempt status before the rule was to take effect. In doing so, West Virginia employers may have forgotten their own state’s law requiring advance notice to employees before a pay change.