| Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
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| Employers have a general duty under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) to provide a workplace free from "recognized" hazards. A violation of this duty can lead to criminal sanctions in addition to civil penalties. An employer can also be exposed to liability under occupational safety and health regulations promulgated by the Secretary of the Department of Labor. Directors and high-level executive officers must act to reduce or eliminate workplace dangers or risk OSHA liability. More... |
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| Businesses Subject to OSHA |
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| The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) applies to most businesses. The Act covers all employers and their employees throughout the United States and its territories either through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or through a state program approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. However, there are some exemptions from OSHA.More... |
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| Sarbanes-Oxley Act |
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| Most states recognize that corporate directors and upper-level officers owe the corporation the duties of care, loyalty, and obedience. The duty to act in good faith has emerged in some jurisdictions as an equally important fiduciary duty imposed upon directors and officers. Historically, directors and officers were frequently exonerated of personal liability for business decisions because of courts' long-standing deference to the business decision under the business judgment rule or because the transaction was deemed fair to the corporation and its shareholders overall. In the wake of recent corporate scandals, however, officers and directors are under ever-increasing scrutiny by shareholders, the courts, state governments, and the federal government. Many corporate commentators bemoan the fact that conduct once protected under the business judgment rule may not be viewed with such deference in the future. More... |
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| Corporate Loans to Directors and Officers |
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| At common law, a corporation's surplus funds could lawfully be loaned to directors and officers of the corporation unless the loan was fundamentally unfair to the shareholders, concealed from the shareholders, or fraudulent. The circumstances under which a corporation may permissibly make loans to directors and officers are now largely governed by statute. The permissibility of such loans varies from state to state. Most jurisdictions have adopted some version of the Revised Model Business Corporation Act (Act). Under the Act, a corporation generally cannot make a personal loan to an officer or a director unless the loan has been approved (or subsequently ratified) by a majority of the shareholders. If an approved loan is challenged, judicial review is often focused on whether the loan was fair overall to the corporation and its shareholders. More... |
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| Premerger Second Requests for Information |
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| Parties to mergers or acquisitions involving sales or assets of $100 million or meeting other threshold levels must report their planned merger or acquisition to the Department of Justice or the Federal Trade Commission and wait for 30 days (15 days in the case of a cash tender offer or a bankruptcy sale) following the report before completing the transaction. That waiting period allows the Department or the Commission time to review the transaction for its potential effect on competition before deciding what enforcement action, if any, will be taken.More... |
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