Third Circuit finds no nexus between retailer’s mode of operation and water on store floor
11/21/22
In Saunders v. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., No. 21-1941, 2022 WL 832050 (3d Cir. Mar. 21, 2022), the Third Circuit rejected a Plaintiff’s argument that the District Court erred in ruling that the mode of operation doctrine …
Outbreak!: Why insurance claims professionals should pay attention to Monkeypox
9/22/22
By: Glenn Klinger
Monkeypox was declared a national public health emergency by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on August 4, 2022, only the fifth time this has happened since 2009. As of September 20, 2022, the Centers …
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 …
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 …
2/23/22
By: Michael Freed
The Supreme Court of Georgia heard oral argument last week in General Motors LLC v. Buchanan. This highly watched appeal arose from a trial court’s denial of General Motors’s motion for protective order seeking to prevent …
COVID afflicted cases have incubated long enough
2/10/22
By: Wayne S. Melnick and Carlos Fernández
Recently, we examined one of the first rulings about the Georgia Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders and their effect on a case’s statute of limitations. In Owens, the Middle District of Georgia …
1/28/22
By: Paul Piantino III, Esq., Kaitlyn Grajek, Esq. and Julia Bover, Esq.
On December 31, 2021, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the Comprehensive Insurance Disclosure Act, (the “Act”). It takes effect immediately and applies to …
Pennsylvania Superior Court clarifies standard for upholding exculpatory clauses
1/14/22
By: Sean Phelan
In the recent case of Keystone Specialty Services Co. v. Ebaugh, No. 1289 WDA 2020 (Pa. Super. Nov. 22, 2021 Olson, J., Nichols, J., and Collins, J.) (Op. by Collins, J.), the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the …
Purdue Pharma has potential to upend common channeling-and-release practice in bankruptcy courts
1/4/22
By: Travis Knobbe
For the most part, the nuances of bankruptcy law go unnoticed by our colleagues who do not frequent the bankruptcy courts. Some issues we deal with, however, have broad application to the practice of law generally. Consider, …
11/4/21
In Jeter v. Sam’s Club, 2021 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 919 (App. Div. May 17, 2021), the New Jersey Appellate Division rejected a plaintiff’s argument that the trial court erred in ruling that the …
Proposed amendments to Federal Rule of Evidence 702
11/2/21
By: Jacob E. Daly
The federal judiciary’s Advisory Committee on Evidence Rules has proposed two significant amendments to Rule 702 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, which governs the admissibility of expert testimony. These amendments would change Rule 702 as follows (additions are …
5/17/21
By: Kevin Kenneally and William Gildea
The United States District Court, District of Massachusetts (Hillman, J.), recently held that Plaintiffs must affirmatively plead and prove that there is a safer alternative product design in order to maintain defect claims against …