The CCPA is Here to Stay; Now What?

The California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), signed into law in 2018, will become effective on January 1, 2020. Many organizations hoped that the California legislature would narrow the scope of the CCPA prior to its effective date, but the legislature adjourned without taking action to narrow its scope. For businesses, this means that preparations should be underway to comply with the CCPA before the California Attorney General has statutory authority to enforce the law on July 1, 2020.

The initial step for a business to develop a CCPA compliance program is to understand what personal information it collects and determine what it does with this personal information. Similarly, the business should review its policies and procedures regarding its collection and processing of this personal information, then conduct a gap analysis between its written procedures, actual procedures, and the CCPA. Understandably, this gap analysis will be challenging, given that the California Attorney General is expected to promulgate regulations under the CCPA this fall and several potential amendments are awaiting the California Governor’s signature. However, the substance of the CCPA should remain the same and actions should be taken to prepare.

For businesses outside of California, much like the GDPR, the CCPA is designed to be extra-territorial. This means that businesses outside of California that conduct business within the state, or with residents of the state, need to take steps to comply with the CCPA, or at least mitigate its risks. The time for a business to prepare for the CCPA is now, even though the law itself will continue to evolve.

VW Contributor: Alex Rainville
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Observations on LB400

LB400 was introduced in the Nebraska Unicameral, in January of this year to raise the minimum wage of tip earners.  The current minimum wage in Nebraska for tip earners is $2.13 an hour with restaurants ensuring tipped staff obtain at least $9.00 per hour combined standard wage and tips.  The bill was to raise the minimum wage to $4.50 an hour, without indexing the wage to the regular minimum wage.

The bill includes raises the following questions to assure compliance with wage laws:

1. Are the restaurants actually ensuring that the employees receive the $9.00 an hour combined standard wage plus tips or are they “gaming” the system to ensure more profits for the company?
2. Can the employees genuinely rely on the tips of the patrons?
3. Can “standard tips” accurately be reflected in the $9.00 per hour combined minimum standard wage plus tip?

As business owners, employers should consider reviewing current pay policies, including the often-used practice of tip pooling and/or tip splitting, in order to remain in compliance. Another compliance approach to consider would be the modification and reclassification of employees to non-tipped personnel.

 

https://trackbill.com/bill/nebraska-legislative-bill-400-change-the-minimum-wage-for-persons-compensated-by-way-of-gratuities/1636386/

 

The legislation is not finalized so there will be updates on the status of this bill.

The Defend Trade Secrets Act

Last summer, Congress enacted the Defend Trade Secrets Act (“DTSA”), which created a federal civil cause of action for misappropriation of trade secrets. Recently, various courts have started to interpret the DTSA, and determined that it does not preempt existing state law, but gives trade secret owners the option to enforce their claims and receive more consistent outcomes than they would in state court. Prior to the DTSA’s enactment, manufacturers and sellers had to bring trade secret misappropriation claims in state court, unless the parties could establish diversity jurisdiction or an independent federal cause of action.  Because state interpretations of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act vary in every state, consistent relief was not always possible.  For example, the definition of “trade secret” and the types of remedies differ across states. However, the DTSA applies nationwide and provides a uniform statute for trade secret owners to rely on in federal court.

The DTSA has important features that will impact trade secret owners.  Notably, it defines “misappropriation” and “trade secret”, which aids in consistent enforcement across state lines.  Additionally, it creates a civil seizure mechanism, which allows courts to order the seizure of property to prevent the propagation or dissemination of the trade secret, even before a formal finding of misappropriation is established and without notice to the alleged wrongdoer.  Last, a whistleblower provision provides immunity to employees from criminal or civil liability under federal or state laws for disclosing a trade secret to an attorney or government official for purposes of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of the law or filing a lawsuit made under seal.

Most controversial is the civil seizure provision, and courts are reluctant to permit seizures unless the plaintiff establishes necessity. Also controversial, federal courts are turning to state courts for guidance in interpreting the DTSA, thus, defeating its underlying purpose of providing uniformity. However, these issues are likely to be resolved over time. Since its enactment, it is estimated that less than seventy cases have been brought under the DTSA, but the law provides an important option for those pursuing trade secret claims.

© 2017 Vandenack Weaver LLC
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