On July 25, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas stayed the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) recently-issued final rule, set to take effect September 23, 2024, which would amend the definition of an “investment advice fiduciary” for purposes of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and the Internal Revenue Code (the 2024 Rule).  One day later, in a separate case challenging the 2024 Rule, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas also stayed the 2024 Rule on similar grounds.  Both decisions stay the effective date of the 2024 Rule indefinitely while the cases are pending.Continue Reading Two Federal District Courts Stay DOL Fiduciary Rule

After much anticipation, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) unveiled its Final Rule on April 23, 2024, increasing the salary that an employee must earn in order to qualify for the executive, administrative, professional and highly compensated employee “white collar” exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Although the Final Rule will almost certainly face legal challenges and could be struck down, employers should still take the opportunity to evaluate and audit their employee exemption classifications in the event the new rule takes hold in July.Continue Reading DOL’s Final Rule to Increase Salary Thresholds for Overtime Exemptions