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World Health Organization Declares COVID-19 to be a Pandemic

Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.11.20

The World Health Organization has announced its determination that COVID-19 is a pandemic. At a press briefing on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO announced that this is the first time the WHO has declared a pandemic as a result of a coronavirus outbreak. The announcement does not change the WHO’s assessment of the threat posed by COVID-19, nor does it require new WHO public health recommendations.

The WHO announcement means that U.S. employers now have additional flexibility to take measures to mitigate the spread of the virus. Guidance issued in 2009 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in response to the ‘swine flu’ outbreak authorizes employers to be more aggressive in responding to a pandemic, notwithstanding the obligations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The EEOC guidance suggests that employers may be able to conduct certain types of testing and make more direct inquiries to their employees, as part of a containment plan.

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 09.15.25

Senate Finance Committee Looking to Take White River to the Train Station, Confirms DOJ Investigation into Tribal Tax Credits

On August 19, 2025, the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance (“Senate Finance Committee”) sent Paul Atkins, Chairman, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) a letter calling on the SEC to investigate White River Energy Corp (“White River”). In the letter, the Senate Finance Committee confirmed a criminal investigation into White River related to the sale of so-called “tribal tax credits” that according to both Congress and the IRS, do not exist. The letter further states that White River allegedly earned millions of dollars selling these credits and has not been forthcoming with investors regarding the existence of the criminal investigation. According to the Senate Finance Committee, White River has failed to file financial disclosure documents with the SEC since March 15, 2024, missing six consecutive reporting periods. The letter instructs White River to disclose the existence of the DOJ criminal tax investigation, and calls on the SEC to take action if White River fails to do so....

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