Hurricane Sandy

Were Hurricane Sandy damage reports altered to reduce payments to homeowners? Hearing is this week

A three-judge panel for the Eastern District of New York will hold a hearing on Thursday to review allegations that engineering reports were altered to reduce flood-insurance payments to homeowners. Lawyers for homeowners say they have identified more than 500 altered reports, the New York Times reports. The lawyers began…

Feb 17, 2015 10:54 AM CST

Red Cross claims some Hurricane Sandy spending information is a trade secret

The American Red Cross fought a public records request for information on Hurricane Sandy fundraising and spending on the ground that some of the activities are a trade secret. Pro Publica sought information provided by the Red Cross to the New York Attorney General’s office in its investigation of the…

Jun 30, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

NJ couple OKs $1 settlement in eminent domain suit over their lost ocean view

A New Jersey couple has accepted a $1 settlement in their five-year-old lawsuit against the state over the building of a protective sand dune behind their beachfront home. Harvey and Phyllis Karan had contended that the 22-foot high sand dune blocked their panoramic view of the ocean, Reuters reports. The…

Sep 26, 2013 9:15 PM CDT

Closed by lack of power after Hurricane Sandy, law firm battles insurer over flooding exclusion

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…

Apr 5, 2013 4:55 PM CDT

ABA responds to Superstorm Sandy with a reinforced disaster response plan

After a massive storm slammed into the New York City region on Oct. 29, 2012, the area “was like the Third World,” says Jay H. Bernstein, a partner at Kirsch, Gelband & Stone in Newark, N.J. There was no gasoline at local service stations, cellphones didn’t work, electrical power was…

Mar 1, 2013 7:40 AM CST

Hurricane Sandy caused losses that East Coast solos are struggling to offset

After Hurricane Sandy blasted the East Coast last year, Miles Winder lost power in his law office for 10 days. Though Sandy did no permanent damage to Winder’s office, it did damage his bottom line. Now the Bernardsville, N.J., solo is hoping that client worries about the “fiscal cliff” will…

Feb 1, 2013 8:40 AM CST

Threat of cyberattacks must be recognized and responded to, ABA president urges lawyers

When Hurricane Sandy swept across the northeast United States at the end of October, it left more than 8 million homes without electricity across 17 states. Some homeowners, as well as businesses, waited more than two weeks for power to be restored. But compared to what could happen in a…

Feb 1, 2013 7:50 AM CST

Partner of Small NYC Law Firm Wonders When Phone Service Cut Off by Sandy Storm Will Be Restored

Laura Rosenberg didn’t think it was unreasonable for her small law firm in lower Manhattan to be without phone service a week after New York City was hit hard by storm damage from Hurricane Sandy. But after 10 days, she began calling her provider, to little avail, the Rosenberg and…

Nov 16, 2012 10:12 PM CST

Telecommuters Kept Patent Office at 70% Productivity During Hurricane Sandy

Thanks to a liberal telecommuting policy, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office remained productive during a two-day government shutdown for Hurricane Sandy. Patent office director David Kappos says patent and trademark teams averaged productivity of more than 70 percent during the storm, the Washington Post reports. The employees “showed an…

Nov 9, 2012 4:13 PM CST

BigLaw Donates Legal Services, Blood and Money to Help Hurricane Sandy Victims

Large law firms are helping Hurricane Sandy victims with donations, pro bono services, blood drives and office space. Among the firms offering pro bono assistance is Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, the Am Law Daily reports. Lawyers there are counseling storm victims on insurance issues and helping them seek…

Nov 6, 2012 12:42 PM CST

Can False Hurricane Tweets Spur Prosecution? Legal Experts See Some First Amendment Hurdles

New York prosecutors aren’t saying whether they will file charges against a Twitter user who tweeted false news of Hurricane Sandy, including an assertion that the New York Stock Exchange was under three feet of water. The person sending the dire news was outed as Shashank Tripathi, the now former…

Nov 5, 2012 1:39 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Legal Bloggers on the Hurricane Sandy Aftermath

Hurricane Sandy has had a tremendous impact on the week’s events for those who were caught in its path or worried from afar about loved ones living in affected areas. Updates about the storm also dominated the news feeds of the rest of the nation. This week, we’re focusing on…

Nov 2, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Video: Hurricane Sandy’s Legal Fallout; Consequences for Tweeter of Fake News; GCs’ Big Donations

Editor’s Note: We’re experimenting with using more video on ABAJournal.com and will be bringing you this short weekly legal news brief from Bloomberg Law for the next few weeks.

Nov 1, 2012 5:00 PM CDT

Hurricane Sandy Victim Is Son of New York Judge and New Hampshire Bar President

The story tells of a mother’s agony as she waited for her 24-year-old son to return home as Hurricane Sandy struck New York City on Monday. Marcia Sikowitz, a New York housing court judge, fell asleep without hearing from her son, Jake Vogelman, the Daily Beast reports. He had ventured…

Nov 1, 2012 2:36 PM CDT

Hurricane Sandy’s Aftermath Keeps Manhattan and Some NJ Courts Closed; Deadlines Extended

Power failures plagued state and federal courts in Manhattan on Wednesday. The New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will remain closed through Friday, along with federal trial and bankruptcy courts in Manhattan; Newark, N.J.; and Trenton, N.J., according to court websites and a summary by the Administrative Office…

Nov 1, 2012 12:42 PM CDT