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Please Click HerePosted on December 29, 2009 by Mark J. Bradley
In 2001, Congress made changes to the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer tax laws. To satisfy a procedural requirement in the Senate, the 2001 law contained a “sunset” provision, meaning that it would expire at the end of ten years, at which time the provisions of the law in effect in 2001 would be […]
Posted on December 22, 2009 by Mary Ellen Schill
Yesterday President Obama signed the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations Act, and included within that law is an extension of the COBRA premium subsidy enacted last February as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“ARRA”). Our earlier updates on the ARRA COBRA premium subsidy can be found in “COBRA Provisions in […]
Posted on December 16, 2009 by Steven P. Lipowski
Businesses must be wary of the risks associated with promises made in advertisements or other promotional materials, as in some cases these promises extend beyond mere puffery and create express warranties of performance. Generally speaking, advertisers are permitted to engage in “puffery” in the promotion of their products. Puffery is generally defined as promotional statements […]
Posted on December 14, 2009 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Governor James Doyle recently signed Senate Bill 259, which created 2009 Wisconsin Act 80 (the Act) and greatly increased exemption levels for property that individuals can retain from execution or seizure by judgment creditors or a bankruptcy trustee. The bill passed with little visible opposition from bank or other financial institution lobbying groups. The exemption […]
Posted on December 7, 2009 by Mark J. Bradley
Last week, by a vote of 225 to 200, a permanent extension of the 2009 federal estate tax law was passed – by the House of Representatives. We want to caution our clients that what was passed is NOT the end of the story – but only the beginning of the end of the story. […]
Posted on December 4, 2009 by Steven P. Lipowski
The recently decided case of In re Bose Corporation provided much needed clarity and relief to trademark owners regarding fraud in the filing, prosecuting and maintaining of federal trademark registrations. In this case, decided in August 2009, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed a decision by the U.S. Trademark Trial […]
Posted on December 3, 2009 by Mary Ellen Schill
Yesterday the Employee Benefits Security Administration posted a new question and answer on its ARRA COBRA subsidy website, which could bring a big lump of coal to some holiday stockings. As you may remember, the COBRA premium subsidy is available to involuntarily terminated individuals: 1) whose termination occurred during the period from September 1, 2008 […]
Posted on December 3, 2009 by Mary Ellen Schill
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the optional standard mileage rates for computing the deductible cost of operating an automobile for business, medical, and moving expenses for 2010. Effective January 1, 2010, the optional standard mileage rates will be 50 cents per mile for business transportation, and 16.5 cents per mile for travel relating to […]
Posted on December 1, 2009 by Ruder Ware Alumni
Mom (or Dad) has become more than a little forgetful. Dad (or Mom) is deceased (or is mentally incompetent). Mom has some medical conditions, but she still lives in the home in which you grew up. She is on Social Security. She has some savings, some stocks, some insurance, and the family cottage up north. […]
Posted on November 4, 2009 by Derek L. Prestin
On October 30, 2009, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced that it was postponing until June 1, 2010, its enforcement of the “Red Flags Rule” (the “Rule”), which may be found at 16 C.F.R. 681. Previously, enforcement of the Rule was scheduled to begin on November 1, 2009. Under the Rule, certain businesses and organizations […]