The Supreme Court has put an end to a jurisdictional contrivance used by the plaintiffs’ bar to shop for a friendly state forum, even if neither the plaintiff, nor the defendant, nor the actionable conduct took place in those...more
In Disney’s The Lion King, the wise lion Mufasa sits atop a rock crag with his heir, the cub Simba, looking down on the Serengeti below. “Everything the light touches,” Mufasa instructs, “is our kingdom.” A similar scene...more
In September, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (“OEHHA”) announced that it had adopted amendments to the regulations governing California’s Proposition 65, which requires that businesses provide a...more
President Andrew Jackson is reported (likely inaccurately) to have flaunted a Supreme Court decision by retorting, “John Marshall has made his decision; now let him enforce it!” Any litigant who has been on the receiving end...more
What happens in the jury room, stays in the jury room. Except when it doesn’t. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal of a Colorado man whose counsel learned, after the guilty verdict was rendered,...more
4/21/2016
/ Admissibility ,
Bias ,
Certiorari ,
Credibility ,
Federal Rules of Evidence ,
Impartiality ,
Jury Verdicts ,
Pena-Rodriguez v Colorado ,
Racial Bias ,
Right to a Jury ,
SCOTUS ,
Sixth Amendment
As any company facing EPA administrative action under CERCLA knows, the financial risk and defense costs associated with those proceedings can be the same as the risk and costs of an EPA lawsuit under CERCLA. But insurers...more
Fidelity bonds are purchased primarily to protect against loss to the policyholder’s own assets, from things like employee theft or embezzlement. In Avon State Bank v. BancInsure, Inc., however, the Eighth Circuit interpreted...more
Lawyers may be surprised to learn that lawsuits brought by clients challenging something other than purely legal advice or advocacy—such as billing—may not be covered by their professional liability policies. Interpreting the...more
In a series of opinions issued over the past few months, federal judges in California have reiterated that insurers must wait until they are finished defending their policyholders before they sue those policyholders for...more
Managing a company’s exposure to new types of risks is often a complicated endeavor. We’ve previously reported on the uncertainty that can arise when existing coverage models are applied to a new risk—such as losses arising...more
Last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court let stand the appellate decision in Indalex, Inc. v. National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh, Pa., which held that mold related health problems and property damage allegedly...more
As we’ve previously reported, cyber risks are an increasingly common risk facing businesses of all kinds. In a recent speech given at the New York Stock Exchange, SEC Commissioner Luis A. Aguilar emphasized that cybersecurity...more
The insurance industry continues to respond to the growing threat of data breaches by directing businesses facing that risk towards new, risk-specific cyber insurance products, while attempting to restrict coverage for data...more
Policyholders seeking defense costs for products liability claims received welcome support from a Pennsylvania appellate court which rejected an excessively restrictive view of the scope of coverage offered under commercial...more
Earlier this year, we reported on California Governor Edmund Brown's call for reform of the state's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 – better known as Proposition 65, the number of the ballot initiative...more
California Governor Edmund Brown has added his voice to a number of California legislators calling for an overhaul of the state's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 – better known as Proposition 65 (the...more
Last month, the California Supreme Court overruled longstanding precedent and restored to full force the fraud exception to California's parol evidence rule. In Riverisland Cold Storage, Inc. v. Fresno-Madera Production...more