Back-to-school driving cautionary tips from a lawyer’s perspective
8/28/23
With Fulton and DeKalb County schools beginning classes August 7, 2023, all major Atlanta Metro school districts are back in session for the 2023-24 school year. While we are glad that our students are back in …
Punitive damages are now permitted to be sought in Illinois wrongful death and survival actions
8/14/23
By: Jonathan Schwartz, Kingshuk K. Roy, and Donald Patrick Eckler
On August 11, 2023, Governor Pritzker signed HB 219, which amended 740 ILCS 180/1, 740 ILCS 180/2, and 755 ILCS 5/27-6, to allow punitive damages to be recoverable …
SCOTUS Clarifies Need to File Post Trial Motions to Preserve Appeal
7/3/23
By: Meaghan Mahon and Lisa Grandner
Those in the legal profession understand the importance of preserving issues for appeal. Yet there has been conflict among the Courts of Appeals over whether a question of law, resolved at summary judgment, must …
3/22/23
In Williamson v. Evans Nails & Spa Corporation, the Illinois appellate court ruled that video footage of a nail salon customer’s fall was sufficient to reverse summary judgment in favor of the salon and allow …
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 …