( March 18, 2026, 2:31 PM EDT) -- BALTIMORE — In a lawsuit by a Maryland beauty salon seeking a refund of employee retention credits (ERC) it claims it earned under the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economy Security (CARES) Act because of having suffered declines in gross receipts during the COVID-19 pandemic, a Maryland federal magistrate judge on March 17 approved the parties’ status report indicating that they had reached a settlement but needed additional time to resolve the case....