As James Taylor might say, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain, but will my insurance cover the damage? California has certainly seen plenty of fire and rain. In the aftermath of the state’s most recent devastating events, damages are estimated to top $5 billion. As Californians file insurance claims…
Most states apply the rule of contra proferentem, resolving ambiguous policy language against the insurer and in favor of coverage. Insurers, after all, have control over their policy language and it is their responsibility to ensure the language is clear. Some states require the use of extrinsic evidence before resolving…
Living a life in 0.1 hour increments! Most law firm lawyers begrudgingly accept the necessity of meticulously counting their time, and most in-house lawyers are relieved when they no longer have to think about their days six minutes at a time. But as more in-house legal departments take on their…
The stopwatch is running. Companies are scrambling to figure out how the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)—due to go into effect on May 25, 2018—will affect how they do business. Uncertainty and speculation abound; no one knows exactly how the law will be enforced, particularly with respect to companies…
Sometimes you just can’t win. Under the law of most states, the doctrine of rescission provides that when a policyholder gives a materially misleading answer on an application for insurance, the court may hold it void ab initio, meaning the policy is unenforceable from the outset, as if there had…
Any construction professional working in Florida likely is familiar with the state’s notice and opportunity to repair statute (“chapter 558”) that creates a process for trying to resolve construction defect claims without litigation. As the first step in this mandatory process, a property owner must serve a chapter 558 notice…
Returning to the work routine after the winter holidays can certainly be a drag—but some new case law from the past year should put policyholders in higher spirits as 2018 begins. In two decisions with the potential for broad impact, courts expanded the ability of policyholders to recover attorney’s fees…
America is facing a reckoning. Many brave individuals have stepped forward over the last several months to speak truth about sexual harassment and assault in workplaces, in entire industries, and even in Congress. For a very long time, companies dealt with sexual assault and harassment allegations quietly and in backrooms,…
In most cases, a reasonable settlement produces a better result than litigation. A good settlement should provide more of what you need at a lower cost with less interruption of your core business. Abraham Lincoln is credited with the following advice: “Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you…
The Las Vegas massacre. The Ariana Grande concert bombing in Manchester, England. The Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The concert hall attack in Paris. The mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The quickening drumbeat of attacks on companies and businesspeople that host public events and on those who…