Publications

• Five Steps to Resume Michigan Business Operations

  May 19, 2020

  On the heels of the auto industry and manufacturing returning to work, it is widely expected that other Michigan employers will be allowed to resume operations in the next few weeks. Each business that is allowed to resume operations has a number of steps that it must address in order to comply with State and […]

• Executive Order (EO-64) prohibits discrimination in allocation of medical resources

  May 5, 2020

  Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an executive order requiring hospitals to develop protocols to guide medical decision making in circumstances where demand for critical medical resources exceeds supply during the COVID-19 pandemic.  EO-64 further requires that the protocols prohibit “medical decision-making based on social stigma or stereotypes” regarding a long list of categories.  The preamble of […]

• Manufacturing Disinfectants 101: An Introduction to Regulatory Requirements

  May 4, 2020

  Since the COVID-19 outbreak, there has been a rush to enter the disinfectant industry to seize upon the significant need but short supply of disinfectant products. Because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and individual states regulate disinfectants as pesticides, so many entering this market for the first time are quickly discovering the complicated steps […]

• MICHIGAN COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION CAN RESUME MAY 7

  May 1, 2020

  After being shut down since Governor Whitmer issued Executive Order 2020-21 on March 23, 2020, Michigan commercial and residential contractors can go back to work effective 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, May 7, pursuant to the Governor’s most recent Executive Order, 2020-70, issued late afternoon on May 1. More specifically, §10 (f) of EO 2020-70 provides: […]

• Executive Order (EO-61) Fails to Clarify Scope of Immunity for Health Care Providers

  April 27, 2020

  On April 26, 2020, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a new executive order (EO-61) expanding certain provisions of a previously issued executive order (EO-30) which addressed immunity of health care providers.  As outlined in the prior alert, Executive Order Provides Immunity to Health Care Providers, EO-30 included a provision extending immunity from liability to “licensed […]

• Stay Home, Stay Safe 3.0: What you Need to Know

  April 24, 2020

  Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued her third “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order 2020-59, extending it until May 15th. Executive Order 2020-21 (first “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order) required businesses to suspend operations if workers had to leave their homes in order to do their jobs, and required individuals to stay at home other than to […]

• CARES Act Provides Mortgage Relief Options

  April 24, 2020

  Under the recently enacted CARES Act, homeowners, rental property owners, and renters may be eligible for mortgage relief options. To be protected against foreclosures, the mortgage must be federally owned or otherwise backed by one of the federal agencies. To understand who owns or backs your mortgage, you can call your servicer. The servicer has […]

• Business, Interrupted: Does Insurance Cover Your Business Losses Due to COVID-19?

  April 20, 2020

  If your business has business interruption insurance and has shut down due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, there are at least three steps you should take now in order to understand what coverage your policy may provide and to protect any possible rights you may have. Three Critical Factors to Understand Your Business Interruption Insurance […]

• Environmental Enforcement Discretion Amid the COVID-19 Crisis

  April 17, 2020

  Environmental regulators have issued discretionary environmental enforcement guidance in recognition that the COVID-19 pandemic will compromise or even prevent environmental compliance in certain circumstances. In response to the debilitating combination of worker shortages, closure of non-essential businesses, and stay-at-home orders, EPA has issued a new enforcement policy, and Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and […]

• The Impact of COVID-19 on Evictions

  April 16, 2020

  The most likely impact of the economic shutdown due to COVID-19 will be a rise in evictions, loan defaults and bankruptcy filings.  While financial institutions, lessors and suppliers can be expected to work with many of their clients during this crisis, it is anticipated that not all businesses will survive. Last week, Crain’s Detroit reported […]