A month into recreational cannabis sales, NJ Employers still lack guidance on drugfree workplace enforcement
6/3/22
By: Courtney Knight New Jersey recreational cannabis sales began April 21, 2022 and have since amounted $24 million in sales. But what happens when all of those legal users show up to work and/or apply for a new job? The State’s employers have been left stranded while the battles continue in rulemaking and the Courts. During…
Down It Goes! Illinois Prejudgment Interest Struck Down – What To Do Now
5/31/22
By: Jonathan Schwartz and Patrick Eckler Judge Marcia Maras of the Circuit Court of Cook County struck down as violative of the Illinois state constitution, PA 102-0006, which permits prejudgment interest in personal injury and wrongful death cases. This ruling is of great significance for those with cases that predate the statute’s effective date, July…
Massachusetts’ High Court Strikes Down Capital Gains Tax Levied Against Non-Domiciled Corporation on Statutory Grounds
5/25/22
By: Matthew A. Wachstein In the recent case of VAS Holdings & Investments LLC v. Comm’r of Revenue, No. SJC-13139, 2022 Mass. LEXIS 204 (May 16, 2022), the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts (SJC) reversed the Appellate Tax Board’s holding that a nondomiciliary corporation could be taxed for its capital gains from the sale of…
Right result. Right reason? Kentucky federal court considers questions of intent under different parts of an insurance policy
5/24/22
By: Barry Miller Can the same conduct be unintentional, under a broad reading of the word “intent,” and still be intentional under a narrower test? A recent opinion from a Kentucky federal seems to suggest that an insured can lose coverage in precisely that way. Questions of intent often arise under the standard “intentional injury”…
Georgia Governor Reinstitutes Non-Party Apportionment
5/23/22
By: Sharon Horne and Sangeetha Krishnakumar Georgia’s “non-party fault statute,” codified at OCGA § 51-12-33, was passed by the state’s General Assembly as part of tort reform efforts in 2005. This statute provided for non-party apportionment as an option in applicable cases. The intent of this code section was, ostensibly, to allow the defendant to…
Changing Tides: WOTUS and the Jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act
5/23/22
By: Alec D. Tyra Clean Water Act: What is WOTUS? The Clean Water Act (CWA) was enacted to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s waters.” The act, among other things, regulates the discharge of any pollutant from any point source to navigable waters and the discharge of dredged or…
The Connecticut Supreme Court finds that the “Litigation Privilege” extends to claims of “bad faith” based upon an insurers’ actions during litigation.
5/23/22
By: Edward Storck The recent decision in Tamara Dorfman v. Joscelyn Smith, et al, 342 Conn. 582, 271 A.3d 53 (March 29, 2022), addressed whether an insurer’s alleged conduct during litigation could form the basis of a “bad faith” finding in the handling of an underinsured motorists insurance coverage claim. The Connecticut Supreme Court upheld…
You Can’t Find Me Anymore: New Jersey Cracks Down on Employer Tracking
5/16/22
By: Stephanie L. Greenfield, Esq. Employers take notice, effective on April 19, 2022, a new law prohibits New Jersey employers from tracking vehicles driven by employees without first providing written notice. The law is designed to further protect employee privacy in the workplace. Under the new law, employers cannot utilize tracking or electronic communications devices in any…
New York Comprehensive Insurance Disclosure Act Updates 2022
5/5/22
By: Nicholas J. Hubner New York enacted the Comprehensive Insurance Disclosure Act on December 31, 2021 (the “Act”). When originally signed, Governor Hochul requested that the Senate consider certain amendments to reduce or clarify the burden on litigants. The Act was amended on February 24, 2022, to address a variety of concerns with New York…