James M. Peabody-Harrington

If you watched the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer, you may have noticed something unusual: mandatory hydration breaks. For the entirety of the tournament, FIFA required cooling and hydration breaks in addition to the standard halftime break. While skeptics argued that these breaks were added for increased ad time, they also allowed players the opportunity to cool off when on-field conditions became dangerously hot, such as during the Fourth of July weekend heat dome. These measures reflect a broader reality:

Noncompete provisions for most health care professionals will be banned or restricted in Maryland as of July 1. Last year, the Maryland General Assembly passed House Bill 1388, significantly impacting the enforceability of noncompete provisions for health care professionals. A noncompete provision is a post-employment restrictive covenant that prohibits an employee from obtaining subsequent employment, including self-employment, in the same or similar business or trade as their former employer. Noncompete provisions are often limited in geographic scope and time. Under

Three years after Maryland’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program (FAMLI) was established by the Time to Care Act of 2022 (TCA), the General Assembly on Monday passed House Bill 102, which delays certain dates related to annual reporting and the implementation of the program. Gov. Wes Moore is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming weeks. The bill would delay when employers and employees must begin submitting contributions for the funding of the program and when

On Feb. 5, National Girls & Women in Sports Day, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” declaring “it is the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.” The directive is aimed at prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports. The order directs the Education Department to carry out the policy by changing its

President Donald Trump signed a number of executive orders in his first week in office with broad implications for federal agencies, contractors and, potentially, private employers. Executive orders only apply to federal agencies and their employees and do not impose requirements on private employers. But private employers should be aware of these issues and prepare for potential impacts on their organizations. Order on Gender Identity and Expression Trump signed an executive order Jan. 20, titled “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and

Maryland’s Time to Care Act (TTCA), enacted more than two years ago and since amended twice, established a paid family and medical leave insurance (FAMLI) program for Maryland employees. The Maryland Department of Labor’s new FAMLI Division recently issued proposed regulations to implement the program in accordance with the TTCA. Applicable to all employers with at least one Maryland employee, FAMLI will provide eligible employees in Maryland with 12 weeks of paid family and medical “leave and benefits” for certain qualifying

More than a dozen business groups last month filed a much-anticipated lawsuit seeking to block the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) new final rule that will significantly raise the minimum salary thresholds for exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The final rule increases the minimum annual salary threshold for exempt executive, administrative, and professional (EAP) employees, as well as outside sales and computer employees from $35,568 per year to $43,888 per year July 1. Then, on Jan. 1,

The Supreme Court last month made it easier for employees who are involuntarily transferred from one position to another to pursue employment discrimination claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Traditionally, for a transfer to constitute a sufficient change to the terms and conditions of employment to establish a discrimination claim, an employee needs to demonstrate that they were left at a significant disadvantage because of the transfer. In Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Missouri, the

Miles & Stockbridge’s Labor, Employment, Benefits & Immigration Practice Group presented its 22nd annual Hot Topics in Employment Law seminar April 11 to clients from throughout Maryland and beyond. Topics covered included diversity, equity and inclusion programs, federal and state leave law updates and myriad employment issues raised on a day-to-day basis with human resources professionals, including disability and religious accommodations in the workplace, the impact of changing cannabis and clean slate laws on employers. Here are some highlights from

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in December vetoed a bill passed by the New York Legislature that would have prohibited nearly all noncompete agreements in the state regardless of the context, salary level or job function of the employee signing it. The ban would have applied equally to all employees and managers alike, regardless of rank or position.  In particular, the vetoed bill would have barred employers from imposing contract language that prohibits New York employees or other “covered individuals” from

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule last week revising its guidance to employers and workers to help determine if a worker qualifies as an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The new rule, which was published in the Federal Register on Wednesday and takes effect March 11, rescinds the DOL’s previous Independent Contractor Rule that was published three years ago.  The final rule’s analysis for determining employee or independent contractor status

The Supreme Court earlier this month declined to address who has standing to sue a business whose website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In Acheson Hotels, LLC v. Laufer, the justices unanimously remanded the case back to the lower court with instructions to dismiss it as moot, sidestepping an examination of the merits of a case with national implications for hotels and potentially other public accommodations as well.  Background Deborah Laufer is a prolific litigant with physical disabilities and

As the Covid-19 pandemic drifts further into the rearview, many companies are rolling back work-from-home policies and requiring employees to return to the office on a schedule similar to pre-pandemic office hours, with renewed attendance requirements. Many executives say their companies are more innovative and collaborative when employees are physically present in the office, which in turn increases revenue, productivity and employee retention. After several years of work-from-home, however, some employees are opposed to return-to-office mandates. Employees seeking an exemption from

Sharing personal data across borders is critical for organizations operating and doing business internationally. Doing so in compliance with data security and privacy laws, however, can be a complex and challenging exercise due to the differing protections and transfer mechanisms across jurisdictions and countries. Thanks to recent developments between the United States, European Union and United Kingdom, U.S. companies once again have an easier pathway to share and receive data from their business partners and related entities in the EU