NEWSLETTER : August 2017

By: Cheryl A. Jones, Esquire               Are you a Maryland resident? Do you have student loan debt? Well, good news – you may be eligible for a new tax credit on your 2017 tax return!               The Student Loan Debt Relief Tax Credit went into effect on July 1, 2017, and provides that qualifying Maryland residents may be eligible for up to $5,000 of a state income tax credit to help them pay down their … Continue reading →

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (129 Stat. 584, Public Law 114–74, Nov. 2, 2015, H.R. 1314) (the “Act”) contains a new partnership audit regime the implementation of which will begin for audits of partnership tax returns for years beginning on or after January 1, 2018. Even though such audits may not occur until years after the January 1 date, partners and their partnerships, ought to begin immediately to consider amendment of partnership agreements to … Continue reading →

On June 27, 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced it will reinstate the issuance of opinion letters (the “letters”), a practice not followed since 2010. The letters allow the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (“WHD”) to provide guidance to covered employers and employees. An opinion letter is issued by the WHD in response to employer inquiries about how the law should be interpreted in specific circumstances. Opinion letters can be opinion letters from … Continue reading →

In Fact Sheet 2017-10 issued by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) on July 25, 2017, “Information on Identity Theft for Business, Partnerships and Estate and Trusts”, the IRS points out that business, partnerships and estate and trust filers are “increasingly targeted by national and international criminal syndicates who use stolen data to file fraudulent tax returns for refunds.” The IRS notes a sharp increase in the number of fraudulent Forms 1120, 1120S and 1041 as … Continue reading →

Interested in receiving PK Law’s Insurance Group’s monthly Insurance Insights Newsletter?  Click HERE.   By:  Patricia McHugh Lambert, Esquire Keep in mind that statutes or ordinances can be a source of a duty of care towards members of a specific class. See, e.g., Kiriakos v. Phillips, 448 Md. at 495, 139 A.3d 1006 (concluding that a social host owes a duty to persons injured as a result of a minor’s underage drinking, where a statute provided that “an … Continue reading →

Interested in receiving PK Law’s Insurance Group’s monthly Insurance Insights Newsletter?  Click HERE.   By:  Patricia McHugh Lambert, Esquire Have you ever wondered who will take care of your pet after your death? Maryland has a pet trust law allowing owners to set aside funds for their pet’s care and to provide for a care taking system for their pet. By way of the pet trust, a caregiver is appointed and at least one backup caregiver is designated. … Continue reading →

Interested in receiving PK Law’s Insurance Group’s monthly Insurance Insights Newsletter?  Click HERE.   By:  Kayleigh Toth Keilty, Esquire Similar to other abuse registries, animal advocates have been petitioning legislatures to initiate an “animal abuse registry,” which would identify past animal abuse and cruelty law offenders. This year, Senator James N. Mathias, Jr. was the primary sponsor of Senate Bill 84 which sought to establish the Maryland Animal Abuse Registry through the Department of Public Safety and Correctional … Continue reading →

Interested in receiving PK Law’s Insurance Group’s monthly Insurance Insights Newsletter?  Click HERE.   By:  Kayleigh Toth Keilty, Esquire Whoever said that a diamond is a girl’s best friend never had a dog. Within the first few minutes of every conversation, professional or personal, the person I am speaking with always casually, or sometimes intentionally, mentions their beloved dog, cat, horse, you name it, then proceeds to whip out his or her smart phone to display hundreds of … Continue reading →