News & Resources

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued its Final Rule this week increasing the minimum salary requirement for overtime exempt employees. The changes are:

• On July 1, 2024, minimum salary increases from $35,568 to $43,888.
• On January 1, 2025, minimum salary increases to $58,656.
• Using the then-current earnings data and a percentile of the lowest-wage Census Region (South), the Rule also includes automatic updates to the minimum salary every 3 years.

The Grand View Hospital in Pennsylvania hired a comedian (white male) to perform at their board retreat. After the performance, the hospital’s CFO (white female) complained that the comedian was racist and created a hostile work environment for minorities in the audience. Several weeks later, the CFO was terminated.

Sessions, Israel & Shartle proudly announces that for the 6th year, Whitney White, a partner in our Dallas Office, has been named by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in Consumer Law.

In February 2024, the 5th Circuit (covering Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi) reduced a $366 million jury verdict to $248,619.57. A Texas jury awarded the $366 million after finding that FedEx terminated the Plaintiff in retaliation for alleging discrimination against a supervisor.

On February 26, 2024, a Florida state court, following federal law concepts, ruled under state law that a plaintiff’s alleged statutory violations, with the only “injury” being a fear of future harm, lacked the required standing to stay in state court.

On December 13, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Fair Medical Debt Reporting Act. This new law is effective immediately and prohibits the credit reporting of any medical debt in New York. And “any” means any – it is not just negative information; there can be no furnishing of any information regarding any medical debt in New York.

On November 17, 2023, a Florida state court found no standing to sue when the plaintiff merely alleged a statutory injury for collection of a debt not owed and the fear of future harm if the court did not intervene.

SESSIONS, ISRAEL & SHARTLE is delighted to announce that three of our partners, David Israel (employment), Bryan C. Shartle (commercial litigation), and David R. Clouston (commercial litigation), have been recognized as The Best Lawyers® in America for 2024. Our partner Whitney White (commercial litigation) was recognized as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for 2024.

On July 21, 2023 federal immigration agencies authorized an optional alternative procedure to in-person physical examination of documents presented for the purpose of completing the Form I-9.