#legal
Legal
Legal considerations for business finance and accounting compliance
Louisiana's Act 751 Bans Debit Card Surcharges — Which Were Already Illegal. Here's Why Retailers Should Still Worry
Louisiana's Act 751 takes effect August 1, 2026, adding state enforcement — cardholder notice letters, a 30-day refund cure window, and civil penalties up to $500 per violation — to a debit card surcharge ban that federal law and card network rules already imposed nationwide. Here's what retailers should check in their POS systems, and how to book any refunds cleanly.
Ninth Circuit Blocks FinCEN's $200 Cash-Reporting Order: What the Border GTO Ruling Means for Money Services Businesses
On July 14, 2026, the Ninth Circuit upheld an injunction blocking FinCEN's border Geographic Targeting Order, which required money services businesses in ~30 ZIP codes to file Currency Transaction Reports for cash transactions as low as $200 — 50 times below the normal $10,000 threshold. The court found FinCEN likely violated the APA by skipping notice-and-comment rulemaking and ignoring compliance costs.
The Robinson-Patman Act Is Back: What a Wine Distributor's Antitrust Fight Means for Every Small Retailer
The FTC's December 2024 Robinson-Patman suit against Southern Glazer's — the first in decades to survive a motion to dismiss — revives a 1936 law barring suppliers from charging small retailers more than big chains for identical goods. What the Act covers, its cost-justification defenses, and the purchase records independent retailers should keep now.
The Section 122 Import Surcharge Expires July 24, 2026 — What Small Importers Should Do With the Week Left
The 10% Section 122 import surcharge expires automatically on July 24, 2026, when its 150-day statutory limit runs out — but expiration is not a refund, and Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs are already queued to replace it. Here's how small importers should tally what they paid, preserve refund rights, and model landed costs before the deadline.
USDA's "Product of USA" Label Rule Is Now Enforceable: What Small Meat, Poultry, and Egg Sellers Must Document
Since January 1, 2026, USDA's FSIS requires any "Product of USA" claim on meat, poultry, or eggs to mean born, raised, slaughtered, and processed in the U.S. — and sellers must produce origin, traceability, and attestation records within 24 hours of an inspector's request.
Virginia's SB 170: No Severance, No Noncompete — What Employers Must Do Before July 1, 2026
Virginia's SB 170, signed April 13, 2026 and effective July 1, 2026, makes noncompetes unenforceable when an employee is terminated without cause and receives no severance — for every income level, with penalties up to $10,000 per violation. Here's what employers must change in agreements, budgets, and books.
AI Training Is Fair Use, But Piracy Isn't: What Two Landmark Copyright Rulings Mean for Your Business
Bartz v. Anthropic ended in a $1.5 billion settlement — roughly $3,000 per pirated book — while holding that AI training on lawfully acquired books is fair use; Thomson Reuters v. Ross Intelligence went the other way. Here's what both rulings mean for small businesses using AI tools, plus a contract due-diligence checklist.
Can You Reclassify an Exempt Professional as Non-Exempt? DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-1 Says Yes
DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-1 (January 5, 2026) confirms employers may voluntarily classify an overtime-exempt learned professional as non-exempt, because non-exempt status is the FLSA default. Here's what the letter says, the three-prong exemption test under 29 CFR § 541.301, and a practical reclassification checklist for small businesses.
DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-3: Why Mandatory Roll Call Counts as Hours Worked — and How Section 7(b) Changes the Overtime Math
In January 2026, the DOL's Wage and Hour Division ruled in Opinion Letter FLSA2026-3 that a mandatory 15-minute pre-shift roll call under a collective bargaining agreement is compensable hours worked — but a properly structured FLSA Section 7(b)(1) or 7(b)(2) exemption can absorb that time at straight-time pay instead of an overtime premium. Here's how the thresholds work and what the math looks like for a 20-person dispatch center.
Do Quarterly Bonuses Require Overtime Recalculation? DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-6 Explains the Exception
DOL Opinion Letter FLSA2026-6 (May 28, 2026) confirms that a quarterly bonus paid as a fixed percentage of total earnings — straight-time plus overtime — satisfies FLSA overtime requirements under 29 CFR § 778.210 with no workweek-by-workweek recalculation. Here are the four conditions the exception depends on and a compliance checklist for small businesses.
FTC Bans Air AI From Selling Business Opportunities: What the $18M AI-Washing Case Means for Buyers
The FTC's March 2026 settlement permanently bans Air AI and its owners from marketing business opportunities after buyers lost up to $250,000 on exaggerated AI earnings claims. Here's what the $18 million judgment covers, how the Business Opportunity Rule's seven-day disclosure and Earnings Claim Statement protect buyers, and a practical checklist for vetting any AI-powered business pitch.
Georgia's Dignity and Pay Act: What the End of Subminimum Wage Means for Employers of Disabled Workers
Georgia's Dignity and Pay Act requires Section 14(c) certificate holders to pay workers with disabilities at least half the federal minimum wage ($3.63/hour) starting July 1, 2026, and bans subminimum wages entirely after June 30, 2027. What certificate holders — sheltered workshops, community rehabilitation programs, and nonprofits — need to model in payroll budgets, grant contracts, and job costing before both wage steps hit.