Andrew C. Karter

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Andrew Karter defends employers in labor and employment litigation, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour disputes in federal and state courts, and before administrative agencies including the NLRB, EEOC, the New York State Division of Human Rights, and the New York City Commission on Human Rights. His experience includes drafting pleadings, briefs, and memoranda, including dispositive motions, and preparing pre-trial memoranda and responses to administrative charges of discrimination. He also has experience drafting employee handbooks, employer policies, and collective bargaining agreements.

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Ban on the Run: Federal Court Blocks the FTC’s Non-Compete Ban Nationwide

A Federal Court has blocked the Federal Trade Commission’s Final Rule (the “Rule”) that was set to broadly ban nearly all forms of non-compete agreements. On August 20, 2024, Judge Ada Brown of the Northern District of Texas permanently enjoined the Rule, ordering that it “shall not be enforced or otherwise take effect” on its … Continue Reading

The Era Of The Non-Compete Agreement Is Ending – Or Is it?

The wait is over, but the fight is just beginning. Will U.S. employers need to break up with non-compete agreements forever? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted “yes” earlier this week in pushing through a Final Rule that broadly bans nearly all forms of non-compete agreements. But while the move represents the culmination of the … Continue Reading

The Secret Is Out: Updates to New York’s Non-Disclosure Law

New York is closing out 2023 by ushering in sweeping amendments to its law governing non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in certain settlement agreements. The amendments represent the next step in New York’s ongoing effort to regulate the use of NDAs, particularly when confidentiality is not a complainant’s preference. The changes took immediate effect on November 17, … Continue Reading

Public Health Emergency No More: Pitfalls Employers Should Avoid While Easing Their COVID-Era Policies

After more than three years, both the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have ended their classification of COVID-19 as a public/global health emergency. In conjunction with those announcements, President Biden likewise ended the COVID vaccine mandates that had been in effect for federal workers and contractors. … Continue Reading

Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights: New Jersey Enacts Trailblazing Protections

Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights: New Jersey Enacts Trailblazing Protections New Jersey has recently trailblazed a path in the temporary staffing market by enacting a “Temporary Workers’ Bill of Rights.” In a possible harbinger for things to come nationwide – particularly in more worker-friendly states—New Jersey’s new law represents the most significant step yet that … Continue Reading

Silenced No More: The Speak Out Act Set To Curb Nondisclosure Agreements For Victims Of Sexual Misconduct

Employers who have made use of pre-dispute nondisclosure and nondisparagement agreements will now have to change those practices and reevaluate their existing agreements thanks to the “Speak Out Act” (the “Act”) – a bipartisan piece of legislation born out of the #MeToo movement. The Act, which President Biden recently signed into law, is poised to … Continue Reading

Born Under a Bad Sign: Avoiding Electronic Signature Blues

When Albert King sang “Born Under a Bad Sign,” he was not referring to a document containing an invalid electronic signature. Nevertheless, in a post-COVID world with large numbers of remote workers, employers can take affirmative steps to minimize the kind of “bad luck” the blues singer referred to by understanding issues that may arise … Continue Reading

Sweeping Expansions to New York’s Whistleblower Protections Take Effect

New York employers, take heed: sweeping expansions to New York Labor Law (NYLL) Section 740 have fundamentally redefined the protections afforded to whistleblowers within the state. The revised law took effect on January 26, 2022, opening the door to a potential deluge of whistleblower claims against employers. Notable changes to Section 740 include the following:… Continue Reading

Biden Administration Unveils Long-Awaited COVID-19 Rules For Large Employers and Healthcare Workers

The wait is over for employers seeking clarity on the details of the Biden Administration’s vaccine and testing rules for private employers, first announced by President Biden in early September and now slated to take effect in part by an initial compliance date of December 6, 2021, with remaining requirements effective alongside federal contractor vaccine … Continue Reading

Mandatory Versus Voluntary Vaccinations: An Employer Guide

With COVID-19 vaccines now available to every adult in the United States, employers are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel after a year of uncertainty. But for employers whose workforces spent a year away from the office, a safe return to normalcy presents new legal, practical, and ethical questions.… Continue Reading

New York State Releases Guidance on the State’s New Sick Leave Law

New York employers waiting for clarification on the newly effective New York State Sick Leave Law (“Sick Leave Law”) need wait no longer: on October 20, 2020, the state issued initial guidance – titled the New York State Paid Sick Leave FAQ (the “Guidance”) – interpreting the law. The Sick Leave Law applies to all … Continue Reading

Common Sense Finally Prevails: Employers No Longer have to Tolerate Abusive and Offensive Conduct in the Workplace  

Your employee has just cursed at you, calling you every racist and/or sexist name in the book. Naturally, that employee must go! Just as you are ready to sign off on the termination, a thought occurs to you: “Uh-oh. He was standing on a picket line when he called me those names. Am I still … Continue Reading

What Employers Need to Know about Coronavirus

Although there have only been a handful of confirmed cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV or the “coronavirus”) within the United States so far, employers are nevertheless well-advised to take affirmative steps to protect their employees from this rapidly spreading respiratory illness – even if the employers do not have any operations or employees … Continue Reading

New York City Expands Independent Contractor Rights Amidst a Budding National Trend

Last month, New York City joined an emerging national trend toward increased protections for independent contractors and freelance workers, adopting a new law, Int. 136-A, extending to independent contractors and freelancers the protections afforded to employees under the city’s Human Rights Law (NYCHRL). Effective January 11, 2020, the NYCHRL will apply to employers that employ … Continue Reading

Is it Time to Prioritize Making Websites and Mobile Apps Accessible?

Companies should take steps to ensure that their websites and mobile apps are accessible to persons who are blind or vision impaired, based on the Supreme Court’s recent refusal to review an appellate court decision that allowed a blind man to sue a national pizza chain under the Americans with Disabilities Act.… Continue Reading

New York State Approves Broadly Expanded Protections for Employees and Applicants

Note: This blog post has been updated to include all relevant effective dates now that Governor Cuomo has signed the bill into law. New York State has enacted comprehensive reforms to broaden the scope of its discrimination and harassment laws, including one of the most robust anti-harassment bills in the #MeToo era, amendments to the … Continue Reading

Political Speech Inside (and Outside) of the Workplace

The new year has brought a new Congress, an ongoing government shutdown, and rumblings of the first formal campaign announcements for 2020. With more voters participating in last year’s election than ever before, employers should be prepared to handle issues arising from employees’ political speech and conduct. The 2018 midterms were the first in history … Continue Reading
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