COVID 19 and the SMALL BUSINESS: Part I: Social Distancing & The Impact on Ohio Businesses

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has ordered Ohio public schools to be closed at the end of the school day March 16 through April 2.  This will undoubtedly have an impact on working parents, many of whom will be unable to arrange for, or to afford, child care.  

In addition, Governor DeWine signed an order prohibiting “mass gatherings” (100 persons or more) in the State, and strongly encouraged everyone to practice “social distancing” by avoiding crowded spaces.

Recommended Action Steps for Employers:

Immediately communicate with employees to determine who is impacted by the school closure.  Employers may still require employees to adhere to normal work schedules, and to abide by any attendance policies.  However, due to the immediate nature of the order, there should be some anticipation of disruption caused by higher numbers of employee absences. 

Review attendance policies, schedules and work arrangements.  Consider flex time, shift switches or work from home arrangements where feasible.

Also review workspaces in light of new “social distancing” rules.  Where possible, separate employees by a minimum of six feet.  Consider alternating work schedules, flex time or work from home arrangements to minimize the number of persons in the workplace at any one time. If you have any questions regarding coronavirus related employment issues, please contact Jennifer Corso.  jcorso@ps-law.com, 216-381-3400.

Can I transfer my property via a quitclaim deed into my trust without affecting my title insurance?

The topic of transferring real property comes up often in my estate planning practice.  A typical scenario is when a trust is created for a couple or a single person and we choose to transfer the real property via a quitclaim deed into a trust.  The question that arises is, “what happens to our title insurance policy?”  The question at hand is whether the transfer of property via quitclaim deed invalidates the title insurance policy that the client already has in place on their real property.  The answer is no, it does not so long as the person who quitclaims the property into the trust is also the settlor (the person who creates the trust) of the trust.  If the owner quitclaims the property into a trust where they are not the settlor then then will have to file a Form 107.9, which is a title insurance endorsement that amends the existing title insurance policy by adding an additional insured to the coverage.

If you have any questions regarding estate planning issues, please contact Anna M. Petronzio. apetronzio@ps-law.com, 216-381-3400.

Email scams – Everyone’s a target (even lawyers)

Gone are the days of the “Nigerian Prince” emails, scams so very transparent you wondered how anyone could fall for these things.  Horrible grammar, preposterous situations, incredible sums of money waiting for you just to help out a poor Prince in need…  These days, email scammers are getting more sophisticated, more clever, so you need to keep your guard up.  Here’s what recently happened to me: Continue reading