| Compliance with the ADEA/OWBPA |
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| After the United States Supreme Court decided Ohio v. Betts in 1989, Congress amended the ADEA by passing The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act of 1990 3 (OWBPA). The OWBPA further clarifies Congress's original intent relative to age-based discrimination in the area of employee benefits. Under the OWBPA, an employee may reduce benefits for older workers only when the cost of providing reduced benefits is the same as it is for younger workers. An employer cannot prevent an older employee's pension from accumulating or accruing if the employee works past normal retirement age. The practice of forcing older workers to take early retirement is also addressed.
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| Duty of Obedience |
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| Most jurisdictions recognize that directors have three basic fiduciary duties: the duty of care, the duty of loyalty, and the duty of obedience. The duty of obedience requires a director to act in furtherance of the business organization's goals and mission as stated in the articles of incorporation and bylaws. More... |
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| Mediation of Securities Disputes |
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| Broker-dealer members of the National Association of Securities Dealers are required to arbitrate their disputes with investors. Also, the agreement signed by investors to trade through broker-dealers normally contains a provision requiring the investors to arbitrate their disputes with the broker-dealers rather than litigate such disputes. However, mediation is an additional method for resolving disputes that may be used prior to or in addition to mediation. More... |
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| Reliance on Third-Party Advice or Information |
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| The duty of care requires directors to act in good faith and in a manner that they reasonably believe is in the best interest of the corporation. Directors must exercise informed business judgment and be attentive to the corporation's affairs. In order to do so, directors are required to keep themselves informed of all material information that is reasonably available to them before making a business decision. Directors also must use care when performing their duties. More... |
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| Initial Public Offerings and Lockup Agreements |
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| A lockup agreement is a contract between an underwriter and a company going public in which the insiders of the company, including directors, officers, employees, and friends and family agree that they will not sell shares of the company they own until a set period of time after the company's shares are sold to the public. The objective of the lockup agreement is to provide a stable market for the securities for a reasonable time after the initial public offering. More... |
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