Robert E. Blackham

Insights

1. Alerts

   Ohio’s a Buzz: Impact of Legalization of Recreational Marijuana Use on Employers (Nov 8, 2023)
   Labor Department Proposes Overtime for Currently Exempt Employees Earning $55,000/Year or Less (Sep 1, 2023)
   The Supreme Court’s New Test for Determining Undue Hardship for Religious Accommodation Requests— A “Substantial” Change (Jun 30, 2023)
   Elevated Protections for Pregnant Workers Now in Effect (Jun 28, 2023)
   NLRB General Counsel Wants to Prohibit Most Non-Competes: Will the Board and the Courts Agree? (Jun 2, 2023)
   Is This the End of the Voluntary Abandonment Defense for Ohio Employers? (Mar 14, 2023)
   The NLRB Claims That It Is Returning to Prior Precedent Restricting the Use of Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Clauses in Severance Agreements, but Is It Really? (Mar 9, 2023)
   Proposed OSHA Rule Would Result in Changes to Inspection Procedures (Jan 19, 2023)
   FTC Proposed Rule Would Ban Non-Competition Agreements (Jan 5, 2023)
   The Speak Out Act Ends the Silencing of Sexual Assault Victims Through Nondisclosure and Non-Disparagement Agreements (Jan 4, 2023)
   Back Pay Plus: NLRB Permits Employees To Recover “Foreseeable” Damages From Employers for Labor Law Violations (Dec 14, 2022)
   #MeToo Restricts the Use of NDAs in Sexual Harassment Cases (Nov 18, 2022)
   Uptick in COVID Cases Prompts Additional EEOC Guidance (Jul 13, 2022)
   The X Box: EEOC Announces Addition of Nonbinary Gender Option to Discrimination Charge (Mar 31, 2022)
   U.S. Supreme Court Shoots Down COVID-19 Shot-or-Test Rule (Jan 13, 2022)
   COVID-19 Update: The CDC Issues New Isolation Guidance (Dec 29, 2021)
   Sixth Circuit Lifts Stay on OSHA’s Vaccine-or-Test Rule (Dec 20, 2021)
   Federal Courts Block the Federal Contractor and Healthcare Worker Vaccine Mandates for Certain States (Including Ohio) (Dec 1, 2021)
   The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Will Hear the Court Challenge to OSHA’s Vax-or-Test Rule (Nov 17, 2021)
   OSHA Issues COVID-19 Vaccination Rule: What Employers Need to Know (Nov 5, 2021)
   Ohio Court Reaffirms Employer’s Right to Raise Voluntary Abandonment (Oct 11, 2021)
   Kentucky Federal Court Allows Hospital to Proceed with Vaccination Policy for Employees (Sep 29, 2021)
   President Biden Orders OSHA to Issue Rule Requiring Large Employers to Mandate That Employees Get Vaccinated For COVID-19 Or Undergo Weekly Testing (Sep 10, 2021)
   Stay in or Get Out? Employers Should Evaluate Their Options Under the PBGC’s New Withdrawal Liability Guidance (Jul 23, 2021)
   Biden Calls for Limits on Noncompete Agreements (Jul 19, 2021)
   OSHA Issues COVID-19 Rules for Healthcare Employers Only (Jun 11, 2021)
   BWC Proposes New Rule Excluding COVID-19 Claims From an Employer’s Experience Rating (May 28, 2021)
   U.S. Department of Labor Announces Final Rule for Classifying Workers as Independent Contractors Under the FLSA (Jan 19, 2021)
   Major Changes Coming to Ohio's Employment Discrimination Statute (Jan 15, 2021)
   Big Changes as Employers Prepare to Hire Foreign Workers (Jan 8, 2021)
   New COVID-19 Relief Bill Does Not Require Employers to Provide Paid Leave in the New Year (Dec 23, 2020)
   EEOC Releases Guidance About COVID-19 Vaccine (Dec 18, 2020)
   Ohio Supreme Court Clarifies a Plaintiff’s Burden in Negligent Hiring, Retention, and Supervision Cases (Dec 10, 2020)
   2021 Outlook on Business and Employment-Based Immigration (Nov 11, 2020)
   Ohio Controlling Board Approves $420 Million in COVID-19 Relief Funding (Oct 27, 2020)
   Public Employee Loses First Amendment Retaliation Claim After Publicly Posting a Racial Slur on Facebook That Caused Sufficient Workplace Disruption (Oct 14, 2020)
   DOL Updates FFCRA Regulations, Effective 9/16/2020, in Response to Federal Court Decision (Sep 15, 2020)
   EEOC Provides Additional Guidance on ADA Compliance During COVID-19 (Sep 9, 2020)
   Federal Court Strikes Down DOL's FFCRA Regulations (Aug 11, 2020)
   Department of Labor Adds to Still-Growing Body of Guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Jul 23, 2020)
   Supreme Court Rules LGBTQ Employees Are Protected from Job Discrimination (Jun 15, 2020)
   EEOC Updates COVID-19 Guidance on Accommodating Employees Who Are Disabled, Pregnant, or Over 65 (Jun 12, 2020)
   Possible Employer Vicarious Liability for Employee’s HIPAA Violation Even When Employee Engages In Unauthorized Act (Jun 9, 2020)
   Legislation Repeals Three Health-Related Excise Taxes Imposed by the Affordable Care Act (Jun 5, 2020)
   OSHA Revises Guidance for Reporting COVID-19 Cases (May 21, 2020)
   Ohio Governor Announces Additional Dates for Reopening (May 15, 2020)
   EEO-1 Report Deadline Pushed Back to 2021 (May 13, 2020)
   EEOC Updates COVID-19 Guidance on “High-Risk” Employees Returning to Work (May 8, 2020)
   Highlights from Ohio’s May 1, 2020 Revised Stay at Home (Stay Safe) Order (May 1, 2020)
   Key Issues to Address in Returning to Work (May 1, 2020)
   EEOC Updates COVID-19 Guidance to Address Employers Reopening for Business (Apr 24, 2020)
   On Your Marks, Get Set, Reopen: Roetzel’s Reopening America Readiness Team is at Your Service (Apr 24, 2020)
   FLSA Common Pitfalls; Employers Beware (Apr 17, 2020)
   Department of Labor Issues Additional Guidance to Employers Related to COVID-19 Issues (Apr 17, 2020)
   NLRB Postpones Effective Date of Election Protection Final Rule Until July 31, 2020 (Apr 10, 2020)
   OSHA Highlights 10 Infection Prevention Measures in New Poster (Apr 10, 2020)
   Freezing a Defined Benefit Plan to Reduce Current Year Contribution Obligation (Apr 3, 2020)
   How the CARES Act Impacts Employee Benefits (Apr 3, 2020)
   In-Person Requirements Relative to Form I-9 Deferred if Workplace is Operating Completely Remotely (Mar 31, 2020)
   Layoffs in the Time of the Coronavirus (Mar 30, 2020)
   Department of Labor Issues Guidance on Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Mar 25, 2020)
   Unemployment Benefits: What Employers Need to Know (Mar 23, 2020)
   Governor DeWine Issued “Stay at Home” Order (Mar 22, 2020)
   The New Families First Coronavirus Response Law (Mar 19, 2020)
   Attention Employers: Federal Legislation Appears Imminent Expanding Employee Paid Sick Leave in Response to Coronavirus (Mar 15, 2020)
   Roetzel Response to COVID-19
   Employment Law Q&A (Mar 13, 2020)
   Four Things All Employers Should Do to Prepare for the Coronavirus (Mar 5, 2020)
   Ohio Supreme Court Vacates $4.5 Million Order of Restitution to City of Cleveland (Feb 7, 2020)
   The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation has a New Rule for the Payment of Medical Treatment for Concussion Related Injuries (Feb 3, 2020)
   N.J. Court Requires Reimbursement for Marijuana Use as Part of Workers’ Compensation Case (Jan 23, 2020)
   A Parent’s Attendance at IEP Meetings Found to be Eligible for Leave Under the Family Medical Leave Act (Jan 22, 2020)
   Department of Labor Revises Joint Employment Regulations (Jan 13, 2020)
   What Makes an Undue Hardship in Religious Accommodation? Change May be on the Horizon (Jan 8, 2020)
   Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down Key Obamacare Rule (Dec 19, 2019)
   What Every Employer Needs to Know About CBD (Nov 18, 2019)
   Are LGBTQ Workers Protected by Title VII’s Ban on Sex Discrimination? The Supreme Court Will Decide This Term (Sep 30, 2019)
   Department of Labor Announces Final Rule Increasing the Salary Thresholds for Overtime Exempt Status (Sep 26, 2019)
   Are Employers Required to Accommodate Medical Marijuana? (Aug 16, 2019)
   NLRB Proposes New Election Rules Un-Blocking Charges and Protecting Employee Rights After Voluntary Recognition (Aug 14, 2019)
   Ohio House Passes HB 80, Includes PTSD Expansion (Jun 7, 2019)
   Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Submits Dividend Proposal (May 21, 2019)
   Attention Employers: EEO-1 Component 2 Pay Data is Due September 30, 2019 (Apr 30, 2019)
   Attention Large Employers: The Obama-Era Pay Data Rule is Back in Play (Mar 11, 2019)
   The Department of Labor’s New Overtime Rule Stakes Out Middle Ground on Pay Threshold for Overtime Exemption (Mar 8, 2019)
   Lawsuit Aims to Vacate OSHA’s Electronic Recordkeeping Rule (Feb 20, 2019)
   OSHA Increases Civil Penalties (Jan 18, 2019)
   "It's Like Déjà Vu All Over Again" : The Boeing Micro-Unit Case (Oct 15, 2018)
   Ohio Supreme Court Expands Voluntary Abandonment Defense (Oct 4, 2018)
   No Citation? No Problem. Employers Can Now Submit a Request to Charge the Surplus Fund Without Proof of a Motor Vehicle Citation (Sep 13, 2018)
   Competing in the Commonwealth: New Non-Compete Law Brings Big Changes to Massachusetts (Sep 10, 2018)
   Start that FMLA Clock Running: How to Run FMLA Leave Concurrently with Time Off due to a Work-Related Injury (Sep 4, 2018)
   The Humpty Dumpty Defense Does Not Work for Hospital in Union Organizing Campaign: The Importance of Carefully Drafting a No-Solicitation Policy (Aug 14, 2018)
   Class Waivers in Arbitration Agreements are Given the Okay by U.S. Supreme Court (May 23, 2018)
   Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation Proposes $1.5 Billion in Rebates (Apr 27, 2018)
   Ohio Imposes New Rules on Back Surgeries in Workers' Compensation Cases (Jan 24, 2018)
   The NLRB Makes Big Moves: Employee Handbooks and Joint Employers (Dec 15, 2017)
   Ohio Supreme Court Finds Ohio's "Consent Provision" Constitutional (Oct 2, 2017)
   Changes to DACA and Employers (Sep 15, 2017)
   Texas Judge Strikes Down Obama-Era Overtime Rule (Sep 5, 2017)
   EEO-1 Payroll Data Requirement Delayed....Again (Sep 1, 2017)
   Ohio Makes Significant Changes to Workers' Compensation Laws (Aug 31, 2017)
   OSHA Proposes to Extend July 1 Deadline for Injury and Illness Summaries (Jun 30, 2017)
   Ohio House of Representatives Passes Bill Removing Workers' Compensation Benefits for Unauthorized Aliens; Reduces Time to File Claim to One Year for all Workers (May 22, 2017)
   Federal Appeals Court Rules Civil Rights Act Protects LGBT Employees (Apr 5, 2017)
   Expanded Concealed Carry Rights for Employees Go Into Effect on March 20, 2017 (Feb 28, 2017)
   Alex Acosta Nominated for Secretary of Labor Position After Withdrawal of Andrew Puzder From Consideration (Feb 17, 2017)
   Ohio Governor Kasich Signs into Law Presumption for Cancer Incurred During Work Activities (Jan 6, 2017)
   Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Grants Department of Labor's Request for Expedited Briefing and Oral Argument Schedule (Dec 12, 2016)
   Ohio Supreme Court Rules Concurrent Benefit Awards Not Authorized by Law (Dec 9, 2016)
   Recent Developments Following the Issuance of an Injunction Against the DOL's Implementation of New Overtime Regulations (Dec 5, 2016)
   Breaking News: Texas Federal Court Judge Issues Nationwide Injunction Against DOL, Bringing New Overtime Regulations to Abrupt Halt (Nov 23, 2016)
   OSHA Delays Enforcement of New Rule's Anti-Retaliation Provisions (Jul 26, 2016)
   Department of Labor Issues Final Rule Expanding Overtime Pay (May 18, 2016)
   OSHA Finalizes Controversial Electronic Recordkeeping Rule (May 12, 2016)
   Proposed FLSA Overtime Rules Sent to the Office of Management and Budget (Mar 17, 2016)
   Ohio General Assembly Enacts Ban-the-Box For All Ohio Public Employers (Feb 24, 2016)
   OSHA to Raise Fines for First Time in Quarter Century (Nov 18, 2015)
   Court of Appeals Upholds Trial Court Decision in Ferguson v. State of Ohio (Nov 13, 2015)
   OSHA Prepares to Target Safety Incentive Programs (Oct 23, 2015)
   Obama Orders Federal Contractors to Provide Paid Sick Leave (Sep 10, 2015)
   Long-Awaited Joint Employer Decision Issued by NLRB (Aug 28, 2015)
   A Practical Guide for Employers Following Obergefell v. Hodges (Jul 27, 2015)
   DOL Releases Proposal to Expand Overtime (Jun 30, 2015)
   U.S. Supreme Court Determines Constitutional Right to Same-Sex Marriage (Jun 26, 2015)
   Supreme Court Rules against Abercrombie In Religious Bias Suit (Jun 2, 2015)
   NLRB "Ambush Elections" Rule Upheld by Texas Court (Jun 2, 2015)
   Pregnancy Discrimination Case against UPS is Revived (Mar 25, 2015)
   Cuyahoga County Judge Strikes Down Workers' Comp Statute as Unconstitutional, Hinders Employers Challenging Claims in Court (Mar 12, 2015)
   Department of Labor Finalizes Rule to Extend FMLA Protections to Same-Sex Married Couples (Feb 25, 2015)
   Recent Tide of Class-Action Lawsuits Should Worry Employers Using Background Checks (Feb 5, 2015)
   Three Ways to Ensure a Safe Start to 2015 (Jan 13, 2015)
   
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2. Presentations

   Routinely presents to public and private companies on employment-related issues, including OSHA, EEOC, FLSA and workers' compensation practice and procedures
   Lectured on workers' compensation to the Ohio Self-Insurers Group
   Several presentations to self-insured and private employers' groups
   

3. Firm News

   Roetzel & Andress Earns Recognition in 2024 Best Lawyers (Aug 17, 2023)
   22 Roetzel Attorneys Named 2023 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars (Dec 29, 2022)
   Roetzel Attorneys Recognized in 2023 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America® (Aug 18, 2022)
   74 Roetzel Attorneys Named 2022 Best Lawyers in America®; 18 Recognized as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Aug 19, 2021)
   Seventy Roetzel Attorneys Named to 2021 The Best Lawyers in America© List; Ten Named “Lawyer of the Year” (Aug 20, 2020)
   Roetzel’s Reopening America Readiness Team Formed to Help Businesses Reopen (May 5, 2020)
   Roetzel Transitioning to Virtual Work Environment (Mar 16, 2020)
   Bob Blackham Achieves Recertification by National Board of Trial Advocacy (Aug 27, 2019)
   66 Roetzel Attorneys Named to 2020 The Best Lawyers in America© List (Aug 15, 2019)
   Roetzel & Andress Expands Roetzel Consulting Solutions (Jul 17, 2017)
   Roetzel & Andress begins 2017 with new leadership (Jan 2, 2017)
   Robert Blackham Assumes Role as Chairman of Roetzel (Dec 19, 2016)
   Roetzel Announces New Partner-in-Charge of Ohio and New Office Partners-in-Charge in Northeast Ohio (Nov 3, 2016)
   Roetzel & Andress Announces Election of New President and Treasurer (Mar 1, 2016)
   Roetzel Boasts 50 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars (Dec 3, 2014)
   
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