Editor’s Note: The State Bar of Texas is providing this collection of important links, blog posts, and media stories to keep its members and the public informed of the latest news and resources related to the novel coronavirus outbreak and its impact on the legal community.
Important links
State Bar of Texas Coronavirus Legal Resources Page — Texasbar.com/coronavirus
State Bar of Texas Coronavirus Public Resources Page — Texasbar.com/COVIDHelp
Texas Lawyers’ Assistance Program Well-being Resources page — Texasbar.com/remote-well-being
Texas Supreme Court sides with Abbott after judge halted his order restricting jail release — The high court did not weigh in on the arguments that Gov. Greg Abbott’s order went beyond his executive powers in a disaster. Instead, it ruled that the Harris County judges were the wrong plaintiffs. — The Texas Tribune
Lawyers suing insurance firms over COVID-19 coverage seek MDL — Efforts to coordinate business-interruption lawsuits against insurance firms focus on 16 cases so far filed in federal courts against eight insurance firms, but Richard Golomb, of Golomb & Honik, predicts an “avalanche of cases.” (Subscription required) — Texas Lawyer
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo sued over face mask requirement — The suit claims Hidalgo has exceeded her authority by implementing orders more restrictive than those of Gov. Greg Abbott, which take precedence. — The Texas Tribune
Real estate firm’s GC claims virus compliance got her fired — The former general counsel at a Dallas-area real estate development and investment company said in a lawsuit Thursday that she was fired for complying with a shelter-in-place order implemented to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus. (Subscription required) — Law 360
Tracking COVID-19’s impact on employment law: Difficult at best, contradictory at worst — ‘Practitioners have told us they don’t have time to sleep, there’s no such thing as a weekend, and that if they write something in the morning, it’s out of date by the afternoon.’ — Above the Law
The office as we knew it isn’t coming back anytime soon. Maybe it’s changed forever — In the United States, remote work is still being encouraged under guidelines outlined by the federal government. — NPR
US civil rights agency says employers can test workers for COVID-19 — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said on Thursday that companies can test employees for COVID-19 before permitting them to enter the workplace as long as the tests are accurate and reliable. — Reuters
Self-employed, contract workers in Texas face added hurdles in getting unemployment benefits — Congress has allowed these workers to temporarily receive unemployment but the state’s system still issues automatic rejections, causing confusion. — The Dallas Morning News
Coronavirus and custody. How Houston’s divorced parents are handling the pandemic. — For divorced parents during a pandemic, the possibility arises for increased anxiety as children split their time between homes. (Subscription required) — Houston Chronicle
35 group homes for disabled Texans have coronavirus cases — Thirty five government-funded homes for individuals with disabilities in Texas have had a positive case of COVID-19. — Austin American-Statesman
Trump signs order pausing immigration for 60 days, with exceptions — The order doesn’t apply to many categories of immigrants, but Immigrant advocates worry that the order is the beginning of even stricter measures. — The Washington Post
Federal judge orders ICE to reduce detainee population amid pandemic — A federal judge in Los Angeles ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thursday to reduce the amount of detainees held in its Adelanto processing facility in order to reduce exposure to the coronavirus. — Courthouse News Service
Do anti-mask laws make us all criminals? Lawyer who challenged this law sees issues — Are people who don masks to protect themselves during the COVID-19 epidemic breaking the law? — ABA Journal
Texas AG sues Harris County egg producer for alleged price gouging during coronavirus pandemic — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Thursday in a Harris County court claiming that Cal-Maine Foods Inc., the largest producer of eggs in the country, is price gouging. — KPRC – Houston
Rural corner of Texas, lucky so far during pandemic, weighs reopening — Towns in West Texas are debating whether to follow the governor’s lead to reopen parts of the economy or keep their guard up for longer. — Courthouse News Service
How ‘retail to-go’ will work in Texas (video) — Gov. Abbott has said “retail to go” will begin on Friday, April 24. But what does that mean? — KVUE – Austin
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