http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-22T11:38:08-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/federal_judge_jails_estate_lawyer_as_flight_risk_calls/ A Rhode Island estate planning lawyer's effort to revoke his guilty plea in a controversial $30 million elder insurance fraud case was a "bizarre" and unjustified "hatchet job" on Joseph Caramadre's former counsel, a federal judge said Monday. U.S. District Judge William Smith not only nixed Caramadre's bid for a… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Elder Law, Insurance Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 1st Circuit Court, States, Rhode Island Tue, 21 May 2013 06:09:54 -0500 44283.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/kasowitz_opens_new_calif._office_with_two_jenner_insurance_recovery_partner/ Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman has opened a new office in Century City, Calif., with two partners from Jenner & Block. They are Jerold Oshinsky and Linda Kornfeld. Both represent businesses and university policyholders in insurance coverage disputes with their carriers, and Oshinsky had co-chaired the practice group at Jenner.… Business of Law, Insurance Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, States, California Tue, 21 May 2013 05:30:36 -0500 44282.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/angelina_jolies_op-ed_on_preventive_mastectomy_backs_gene_tests_that_are_su/ Angelina Jolie’s decision to have a double mastectomy, explained in a New York Times op-ed, was due to a defect in the BRCA1 gene that greatly increased the actress’s risk for breast cancer. Jolie wrote about her experience because she hoped that other women would also… Health Law, Insurance Law, Intellectual Property Law, Patent Law, U.S. Supreme Court Wed, 15 May 2013 12:27:10 -0500 44197.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyers_who_didnt_notify_insurance_carrier_of_nuisance_case_lose_coverage/ Husband-and-wife West Virginia lawyers who practiced together in the same Charleston firm initially didn't report to their insurance carrier what they subsequently described as a pro se "nuisance case" over a $290,000 check that the plaintiff said was wrongfully issued to one of the firm's attorneys. But after the plaintiff,… Appellate Practice, Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Contracts, Insurance Law, Law Firms, Partners, Solos/Small Firms, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, West Virginia Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:56 -0500 44152.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/fatal_fertilizer_plant_where_explosion_caused_100m_in_damage_had_pathetic/ As state and federal officials look into an apparent lack of regulatory scrutiny of a Texas fertilizer facility that exploded in a fiery blast last month, killing 15 people and injuring another 200, a further issue has come to the attention of outside lawyers representing victims of the disaster. The… Environmental Law, Insurance Law, Real Estate & Property Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, States, Texas Mon, 06 May 2013 12:15:46 -0500 44036.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/big-bucks_jury_question_did_concert_promoter_select_or_supervise_michael_ja/ Opening arguments began Monday in a small Los Angeles courtroom in a wrongful death case that could involve millions, or perhaps even billions, of dollars in damages. At issue is whether concert promoter AEG Live had a role in hiring or supervising Dr. Conrad Murray, who served as Michael Jackson's… Celebrities, Corporate Law, Health Law, Insurance Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, States, California Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:05:11 -0500 43962.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/insurance_coverage_for_boston_business_owners_could_depend_on_terrorism_def/ Corrected: Business owners dealing with the aftermath of the Boston marathon bombings will be facing legal issues ranging from insurance coverage to compensation for injured employees. More than 400 businesses were forced to close during the bombing investigation and a handful suffered property damage, according to the Bar Associations, Corporate Law, Insurance Law, Labor & Employment, Terrorism Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:38:01 -0500 43934.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_learns_the_hard_way_about_limits_of_bank_safe-deposit_box_protection/ The fine print in contracts for renting a bank safe-deposit box explain that valuables placed in them by customers, unlike ordinary checking and savings accounts, aren't covered by the FDIC insurance. But a lot of people may not understand that. Among those who learned this information the hard way was… Banking Law, Consumer Law, Contracts, Insurance Law, Personal Lives, States, Illinois Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:35:55 -0500 43935.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lack_of_property_damage_in_boston_marathon_bombings_could_eliminate_federal/ President Barack Obama called the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday that killed three people and injured over 170 others "an act of terror." But unless and until the secretary of the treasury, in conjunction with the secretary of state and the U.S. attorney general, certify that they agree, coverage won't… Criminal Justice, Insurance Law, Terrorism, States, Massachusetts Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:40:18 -0500 43803.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/jury_awards_record_524m_in_hep_c_case_lawyer_calls_verdict_a_wake-up_call/ In what is being billed as a record-high verdict in Nevada for a single case, a jury has awarded a total of $524 million to three individuals, two of whom said they got Hepatitis C as a result of treatment by a doctor who contracted with the defendant health insurer… Consumer Law, Health Law, Insurance Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Nevada Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:26:11 -0500 43680.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/d.c._insurance_boutique_opens_in_nycs_chrysler_building_is_looking_for_asso/ A Washington, D.C.-based international insurance boutique has opened in New York City, where it signed a four-year lease for nearly 4,000 square feet of space in the Chrysler Building. Lewis Baach has been operational there for roughly a month, with partners Adam Kaufmann and Insurance Law, Law Firms, Midsize Firm, Partners, States, District of Columbia, New York Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:40:50 -0500 43676.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/closed_by_lack_of_power_after_hurricane_sandy_law_firm_and_insurer_battle/ A New York law firm has brought an insurance coverage lawsuit against its own carrier after being forced to close temporarily by Hurricane Sandy. Great Northern Insurance Co. refused to pay a $250,000 business interruption claim because it said the damage was from flooding, which is excluded from coverage by… Insurance Law, Natural Disasters, Hurricane Sandy, Trials & Litigation, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:55:54 -0500 43609.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_formed_freelancers_union_after_law_firm_refused_to_classify_her_as_a/ Sara Horowitz learned about the downside of working as an independent contractor when she went to work for a Manhattan law firm nearly 20 years ago. Horowitz was shocked to learn the firm was hiring her as an independent contractor rather than an employee, the New… Insurance Law, Labor & Employment, Law Firms Tue, 26 Mar 2013 06:15:47 -0500 43425.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/class_action_plaintiff_cant_avoid_federal_jurisdiction_by_stipulating_to_am/ Federal courts aren’t bound by plaintiffs in proposed class actions who try to keep cases in state court by stipulating to the amount in controversy, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. The court ruled on Tuesday in a unanimous opinion (PDF) by Justice Stephen G. Breyer. Lead plaintiffs… Civil Procedure, Insurance Law, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, U.S. Supreme Court Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:43:21 -0500 43343.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/lawyer_takes_plea_in_279m_no-fault_auto_insurance_fraud_case/ One of three lawyers charged in what authorities have described as a record-breaking $279 million New York auto insurance fraud scheme has taken a plea. Sol Naimark, 54, pleaded guilty last week in federal court in Manhattan to conspiracy to commit health fraud and faces up to 20 years when… Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, Health Law, Insurance Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, 2nd Circuit Court, States, New York Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:00:02 -0500 43340.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/insurers_are_hiring_lawyers_with_an_eye_on_privilege/ Insurance Law, Legal Ethics, Legal Theory, The National Pulse Fri, 01 Mar 2013 04:20:28 -0600 42831.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/gun_owner_liability_insurance_would_be_mandatory_under_proposed_laws/ Proposed laws in at least six states would require gun owners to buy liability insurance for their weapons. Backers of the legislation hope insurance would encourage responsible behavior, the New York Times reports. Advocates say accidental shootings could be reduced if insurers set lower premiums for… Insurance Law, Legislation & Lobbying Fri, 22 Feb 2013 07:33:47 -0600 42968.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/east_coast_solos_struggle_to_offset_losses_brought_on_by_hurricane_sandy/ Business of Law, Insurance Law, Law Firms, Solos/Small Firms, Natural Disasters, Hurricane Sandy, Business of Law Fri, 01 Feb 2013 03:40:03 -0600 42399.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/state_agrees_to_cover_health_costs_related_to_gender_reassignment/ A settlement has been reached concerning a medical insurance coverage lawsuit brought by an Oregon Court of Appeals clerk, who argued that the state discriminated by refusing to provide an otherwise-covered benefit to a transgender employee. The state has agreed not only to compensate Alec Esquivel for the doctor-recommended hysterectomy… Government Law, Insurance Law, Labor & Employment, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, States, Oregon Thu, 24 Jan 2013 16:24:50 -0600 42545.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/homeowners_seek_sandy_flood_coverage_no_one_told_us_about_this_basement_thi/ The definition of "basement" is a major issue for homeowners who bought coverage under the National Flood Insurance Program before Hurricane Sandy struck. The classification is particularly important in Hoboken, N.J., where many homeowners were flooded when the Hudson River overflowed its banks during the storm, the Insurance Law, Natural Disasters Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:29:37 -0600 42475.abajournal.com