There has been a recent surge in lawsuits filed by employees and customers of restaurants, hotels, and other major retailers, alleging violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (“BIPA”).

These forced closures may make it impossible or undesirable for some franchise units to return to business as usual.

Most franchise systems are facing severe financial impacts as a result of the continued spread of COVID-19 and the numerous government-mandated shutdowns that have been ordered by state and local officials in response.

Franchise systems are facing unprecedented upheaval in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Franchisors are currently responding to a myriad of challenges confronting their franchise systems.

This webinar provided a summation of recently passed federal legislation (the FFCRA and CARES Act) that affect lending facilities to businesses, as well as newly formed Human Resources implications for franchise businesses. The panelist discussed the ways that these new laws affect businesses, with a particular focus on family medical leave and paid sick leave provisions, and their eligibility requirements. Additionally, the panelists discussed best practices for dealing with the public health implications of Covid-19 in the workplace.

This webinar, featuring returning panelists, outlined changes and updates in negotiating between tenants and landlords given Covid-19-related business uncertainty and slowdowns. The panelists detailed the challenges being faced by both tenants, and landlords, and provided a step-by-step for action by tenants, and guidance on how and what to communicate to landlords. The panelists also discussed the opportunities on the other side of the pandemic crisis.