More Insurance Coverage
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April 17, 2024
'I Am Mad': Client Regrets Trusting Atty Accused Of Tax Fraud
Emotions ran high Wednesday in a North Carolina federal courtroom as former clients unwittingly roped into an alleged tax fraud scheme took the stand, one of whom was openly exasperated at learning he'd been misled by the two attorneys and an insurance agent who are on trial.
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April 16, 2024
Nothing 'Sinister' About Attys, Broker's Tax Plan, NC Jury Told
Two St. Louis attorneys and a North Carolina insurance agent on Tuesday tried to poke holes in an undercover IRS agent's investigation of what the government has characterized as a criminal tax avoidance scheme, which defense counsel sought to paint for the jury as a legal interpretation of federal tax law.
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April 16, 2024
Amazon Beats Suit After Injured Drivers Bury Medical Details
Amazon can't be held liable in a personal injury lawsuit accusing an affiliate semitruck driver of rear-ending a family's vehicle, Michigan appeals court has ruled, saying it's not the court's responsibility to dig through a "huge stack of medical records" to find information favorable to the plaintiff.
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April 16, 2024
AIG Unit Must Cover $20M Botched Tunnel Project, Court Told
A Michigan county's water resources commissioner and sewage disposal system accused an AIG unit of failing to arbitrate their coverage claims over a design contractor's faulty work on a tunnel project, claiming they've suffered more than $20 million in damages.
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April 15, 2024
Law Firm Shooting Victim Was 'In Constant Fear,' Family Says
A woman who was killed in a shooting that also took the life of her husband, prominent Las Vegas personal injury lawyer Dennis Prince, "lived in constant fear for her safety" as she battled her ex-husband for custody of their two young children, her parents said Monday.
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April 15, 2024
Tax Attys, Broker Peddled 'Financial Fantasy,' NC Jury Told
A North Carolina federal jury on Monday heard a series of secret recordings at the start of a tax fraud trial in which an insurance agent and a St. Louis attorney unwittingly pitched an undercover IRS agent on a way to decrease taxable income — or what the government characterized as a "financial fantasy."
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April 15, 2024
Allstate Asks Court To Order Takedown Of 'Smear' Posts
Allstate asked a Colorado federal judge to order a former independent contractor to remove false statements on his website accusing the insurer of selling customers' personal information to criminals, arguing it has been irreparably injured and that the defendant has signaled he has no plans to stop his smear campaign.
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April 15, 2024
Maynard Nexsen Boosts IP And Insurance Teams With Hires
Maynard Nexsen PC has added an intellectual property shareholder in Nashville and an insurance shareholder and counsel in Austin, Texas, the firm said last week.
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April 12, 2024
Jackson Lewis Hires Employment Litigator In Baltimore
Employer-side firm Jackson Lewis PC has added a former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission litigator to its Baltimore office who says her experience with the federal bias watchdog gives her a comprehensive view on how to advise clients.
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April 12, 2024
Absent Link To $10M Root Suit, Exec's Family Info Off Limits
An Ohio federal magistrate judge has shut down two subpoenas directed at the wife and father of an advertising executive named in car insurance company Root Inc.'s $10 million racketeering and fraud suit, writing in the order that the insurer cannot simply assume documents are relevant in requesting them.
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April 11, 2024
Norfolk's Proposed Deal Shows Risk Management Is Critical
Norfolk Southern Railway Co.'s proposed $600 million settlement with residents and businesses stemming from last year's train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, highlights the importance of a proactive risk management department and transparency between policyholders and carriers, experts say.
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April 11, 2024
UnitedHealth Patients' Addiction Coverage Suit Revived, Again
The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived for the second time a proposed class action accusing UnitedHealth of wrongly rejecting coverage for outpatient substance use disorder treatments in violation of federal benefits law, finding the plaintiff plausibly alleged the insurer employed an excessively strict review process for those claims.
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April 11, 2024
Judge Invalidates Software Patents Over Generic Parts
A Nebraska federal judge ruled Thursday that agricultural software developer AGI Suretrack's claims for a series of software hardware patents were too abstract to be valid.
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April 11, 2024
Insurer Says Firm Not Covered For Bogus Check Scheme
An insurance firm has filed a complaint in Washington federal court seeking a declaration that it doesn't owe coverage to a Seattle-area firm and its sole attorney, who are embroiled in litigation with a bank after the firm fell prey to a counterfeit check scheme.
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April 11, 2024
6th Circ. Orders Redo In Brokerage's Trade Secrets Row
The Sixth Circuit ordered an Ohio district court to take another look at its ruling that a team of insurance brokerage's workers who defected for a competitor must comply with non-compete terms, reasoning that the lower court referenced standards for the injunction, but didn't actually consider them.
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April 10, 2024
BDO Fights SEC's 'Misdirected' Call For 2nd Circ. Rehearing
BDO USA LLP is urging the Second Circuit not to reconsider a decision that freed the firm from private litigation over AmTrust Financial Services Inc.'s financial restatements, saying the court should not heed "misdirected concerns" from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission about the ruling's supposed impact on shareholders' ability to sue public company auditors.
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April 10, 2024
La. Top Court Asked To Hear Insurance Arbitration Questions
The Louisiana Supreme Court should examine the enforceability of arbitration clauses in certain insurance contracts as lawsuits seeking coverage for hurricane damage mount, a Louisiana district court said, certifying a series of questions to the state high court after the Fifth Circuit found they were enforceable.
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April 10, 2024
Bankrupt Hospital Co.'s $16M Deal With Ex-Execs OK'd
A Delaware bankruptcy judge agreed Wednesday to let the liquidating trustee for hospital operator Promise Healthcare proceed with a $16 million settlement with former executives to resolve his Florida federal court lawsuit, which alleged they abused the company's trust by lying to board members for their own benefit.
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April 10, 2024
Insurer Slams 'Price-Gouging' Doctor's COVID Billing Suit
Health plan administrator United Medical Resources Inc. fired back at a doctor's $783,000 suit claiming that he and his practice firms were shortchanged for COVID-19 testing services, with multiple counterclaims alleging that the doctor billed for unnecessary extra testing and put in claims for services that were never rendered.
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April 10, 2024
Honeywell Sues Insurer For $8.75M Performance Bond
A company that issued a $8.75 million performance bond is refusing to honor its deal with Honeywell International Inc. after a subcontractor declared bankruptcy and didn't finish its work at the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania, Honeywell claims in a suit filed Tuesday in Pennsylvania federal court.
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April 10, 2024
Iowa Lawmakers OK Lowering Captive Insurer Premium Taxes
Iowa would lower the rate of tax imposed on some captive insurance companies' reinsurance premiums under a bill unanimously approved by the state Senate and headed to the governor.
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April 10, 2024
Henderson Franklin Grows With Litigator From Fla. Boutique
Henderson Franklin Starnes & Holt PA has added a seasoned litigator to its Naples, Florida, office who previously was a co-founder of his own firm, Goddy & Donnelly PLLC.
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April 10, 2024
Feds Cleared To Use Undercover Recording In Atty's Tax Trial
Federal prosecutors trying an attorney next week on charges he orchestrated a tax fraud scheme that spanned seven states will be allowed to play for the jury an audio recording made by an undercover agent, a North Carolina federal judge ruled.
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April 10, 2024
DOJ, La. Nursing Home Owner Settle FHA Loan Fraud Claims
A Louisiana nursing home owner reached a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to end a lawsuit accusing him of misusing funds and assets for his Federal Housing Administration-insured facilities before and after Hurricane Ida.
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April 10, 2024
Liberty Mutual Says Former Star Sales Rep Poached Clients
A former high-performing sales representative for a Liberty Mutual Group Inc. subsidiary violated nonsolicitation and nondisclosure agreements when he left to start his own competing agency, the insurer alleged in a Massachusetts state court complaint.
Expert Analysis
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Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information
As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.
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Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD
Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.
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M&A Ruling Buoys Loss Calculation Method, R&W Insurance
The recent Southern District of New York decision in Taylor Precision Products v. Larimer affirms the use of EBITDA as a basis to quantify loss, highlighting the potential shortcomings of a traditional seller indemnity compared to representation and warranty insurance, say Mark Schwartz at Lockton, and William O’Neil and Gretchen Scavo at Winston & Strawn.
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Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence
Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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ESG Around The World: The UK
Following Brexit, the U.K. has adopted a different approach to regulating environmental, social and governance factors from the European Union — an approach that focuses on climate disclosures by U.K.-regulated entities, while steering clear of the more ambitious objectives pursued by the EU, say attorneys at Dechert.
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Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes
Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.
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Air Ambulance Ch. 11s Show Dispute Program Must Resume
Air Methods’ recent bankruptcy filing highlights the urgent need to reopen the No Surprises Act’s independent dispute resolution program for air ambulances, whose shutdown benefits insurance companies and hurts providers, says Adam Schramek at Norton Rose.
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Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys
Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.
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Creating A Safe Workplace Goes Beyond DEI Compliance
The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority recently proposed a new diversity and inclusion regulatory framework to combat sexual harassment in the workplace, and companies should take this opportunity to holistically transform their culture to ensure zero tolerance for misconduct, says Vivek Dodd at Skillcast.
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The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'
The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.
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Calif. GHG Disclosure Law Will Affect Companies Worldwide
California's Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, which will require comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions disclosures from large companies operating in the state, will mean compliance challenges for a wide range of industries, nationally and globally, as the law's requirements will ultimately trickle out and down, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.
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Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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ESG Around The World: Japan
Japan is witnessing rapid developments in environmental, social and corporate governance policies by making efforts to adopt a soft law approach, which has been effective in encouraging companies to embrace ESG practices and address the diversity of boards of directors, say Akira Karasawa and Landry Guesdon at Iwata Godo.