BenLath Law Group

04/25/2024

For anyone that owns a business that has non-compete agreements for employees, or for anyone that is an employee subject to a non-compete, the recent FTC decision may have a major impact on you and your business/employment.

The rule has not yet been added to the Federal Register, so it is not yet official. The rule will only take effect 120 days after it is added to the Federal Register.

We fully expect there to be numerous legal challenges to this rule, which may or may not result in a delay in its implementation/enforcement.

Regardless of what unfolds over the next several weeks and months, if you have questions about this issue, please reach out to us with any questions you have and we will be happy to assist you.

Our firm has handled numerous non-compete issues in both negotiation and litigation on both the employer and employee side of things and we are happy to provide you some guidance.

07/07/2022

Given the recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, and the valid concerns it raises regarding LGBTQ+ rights, I thought it would be timely to report this story about my father Gary and his husband Troy.

Rights that hetero couples take for granted are hard-won and precious for same-sex couples The time is right, so I want to share something that illustrates the importance of equality and equity in general, and Pride month in particular. As some of you may know, my dad is gay. He came out in the late...

06/11/2021

Honored to have the Dallas Voice run the story of my Dad and Troy as an Op-ed.

Despite great strides in the right direction, the fight for equality is ongoing. While it is a year-round effort, Pride Month is a great time to highlight these struggles.

Please join us in fighting for equality for the LGBTQ+ community.

Rights that hetero couples take for granted are hard-won and precious for same-sex couples The time is right, so I want to share something that illustrates the importance of equality and equity in general, and Pride month in particular. As some of you may know, my dad is gay. He came out in the late...

03/20/2020

On March 18, 2020, the federal government enacted the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act.” (Hereafter referred to as "The Act.")

Among other provisions, The Act lays out the requirements for employee leave for employers with less than 500 employees. That cap means that roughly 99% of employers are impacted by The Act.

The Act expands traditional FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) requirements. Below is a link to an article explaining this expansion.

As always, anyone that has any questions should feel free to reach out to us and we will try to assist you in any way we can.

On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed into law bipartisan legislation entitled the “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” (the “FFCRA”). After the House of Representativ

03/19/2020

In an effort to continue to support our community and our clients,we are trying to disseminate helpful information.

In the comments below will be links to information regarding resources for individuals and small businesses seeking financial support during the current crisis.

As always, if you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to us.

03/16/2020

We consult and advise numerous small businesses and part of that is letting them know how to handle the current situation.

We thought it would be helpful to get that information out to everyone. So here are some things to consider when thinking about your business for the near future.

As of now, this is for people and businesses in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery Counties (link in the first comment below). We do expect this to expand to other counties in PA.

There is a mandatory closure of restaurants and bars beginning today. Additionally, the Governor is urging the closure of all non-essential businesses. Those include community and recreation centers; gyms, including yoga, barre and spin facilities; hair salons, nail salons and spas; casinos; concert venues; theaters; bars; sporting event venues and golf courses; retail facilities, including shopping malls and except for pharmacy or other health care facilities within retail operations.

The PA Dept of Economic Development is offering working capital loans in an attempt to provide some relief for losses during this time (Link to this info in the second comment below). Additionally, the SBA is also offering loans but those require state and local officials to make qualifications for applicants (link to this information in the third comment below).

03/13/2020

We've had some questions about this, so I wanted to share for all small business owners who are being or may be impacted by the current crisis. While I have edited this for easier reading, this information is on the SBA website at https://www.sba.gov/about-sba/sba-newsroom/press-releases-media-advisories/sba-provide-disaster-assistance-loans-small-businesses-impacted-coronavirus-covid-19

The TL;DR is that your geographic area has to be designated as an effected area in order for you to qualify and it seems that designation is made by an agreement between local authorities and federal agencies.

You should contact your local Representative or other local political leadership to see if they have initiated that process for your area.

-The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering designated states and territories low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

-SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance will coordinate with the state’s or territory’s Governor to submit the request for Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance.

-Once a declaration is made for designated areas within a state, the information on the application process for Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance will be made available to all affected communities.

-These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses without credit available elsewhere; businesses with credit available elsewhere are not eligible. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%.

-SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay.

-For additional information, please contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center. Call 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or email [email protected](link sends e-mail).

WASHINGTON – SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza issued the following statement today in response to the President’s address to the nation:

02/25/2020

Outstanding victory yesterday for our clients.

After two plus years of litigation, we defeated all claims made by the Plaintiff and their $6 million dollar demand in damages against our clients in a trade secrets case.

And also won all the damages we sought in our counter claim.

The jury made that decision after only 75 minutes of deliberations.

As always, massive amounts of thanks and credit to the best law partner ever, Julie Lathia. Her work on this was unparalleled.

04/01/2019

While Pennsylvania does not have very many private prisons (only one at the State level), this is still an important issue for people around the country.

For-profit lockups don’t save taxpayer money or improve outcomes for inmates.

03/31/2019

03/31/2019

After many great years at 212 West Gay Street in West Chester, BenLath Law Group is pleased to announce we are moving our operations to The Barclay Building at 535 North Church Street in West Chester.

As the weather gets warmer, we will be planning a Happy Hour here on the grounds and we hope many of our clients, friends, and colleagues will join us.