Recent Publications


New York State Bill Promoting the Formation of Accountable Care Organizations Awaits Governor’s Signature
July 31, 2012 | Health Services | Corporate

On June 22, 2012, the New York State legislature passed A8869-B Gottfried / S6228-B Hannon, an Act to Amend the Public Health Law, in Relation to Accountable Care Organizations.  The bill now only needs the signature of Governor Andrew Cuomo before becoming law.

The bill seeks to promote the formation of accountable care organizations (ACOs)

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Courts may consider a plaintiff’s status as an attorney in awarding a defendant attorneys’ fees due to the frivolous nature of a plaintiff’s claims
July 31, 2012 | Insurance Coverage | Complex Torts & Product Liability | Professional Liability

Taylor v. Harbour Pointe Homeowners Association, 2012 U.S. App. LEXIS 16216 (2d Cir. Aug. 2, 2012)

While attorneys’ fees are more regularly awarded to prevailing plaintiffs under various federal anti-discrimination statutes, prevailing defendants in such cases are not typically awarded attorneys’ fees unless they can demonstrate that the plaintiff’s claims were “frivolous, unreasonable, or groundless,

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Foreign Parallel Proceedings from the United States Perspective: Do the Courts Need a Crystal Ball?
July 31, 2012 | Complex Torts & Product Liability | Appeals

Please click the link below to view Foreign Parallel Proceedings From the United States Perspective: Do the Courts Need A Crystal Ball? Adobe Reader is required to view the bulletin. If Adobe Reader is not installed on your PC, click here to download and install.

Foreign Parallel Proceedings From the United States Perspective: Do the

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ERISA Preemption Rejected in Insurers’ Claims against Health Care Providers
July 6, 2012 | Insurance Coverage | Appeals

Insurance carriers that provide health care coverage in New York (and in other states) typically have developed comprehensive anti-fraud plans that help them identify and investigate insurance fraud. An important tool in these anti-fraud plans is post-payment reviews of claims submitted by health care providers. When insurance carriers detect fraud, and when they are unable

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New York Insurance Coverage Law Update
July 1, 2012 | Insurance Coverage

Corning sought coverage for thousands of claims arising from the distribution and/or manufacture of two asbestos-containing products. The court said the insurers failed to make out a prima facie case that each of the thousands of claims constituted a separate occurrence. The court reasoned that claims arising from exposure to an asbestos condition at

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Excess Insurer May Recover Defense Costs from Primary Insurers
June 30, 2012 | Insurance Coverage

Valero Refining Company contracted with Encompass Power Services to design, engineer, and construct a co-generation facility. After a fire caused significant damage, Valero sought over $40 million in damages from Encompass.

A federal district court held that Encompass’ three primary insurers had to split the costs initially spent by one of them defending Encompass

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Employee’s Total Weekly Workers’ Compensation Payment May Not Exceed Statutory Cap, Court Rules
June 30, 2012 | Insurance Coverage | Labor & Employment | Appeals

The worker’s compensation claimant in this case worked as a collision shop technician in New York, repairing automobiles. In 2005, he suffered three injuries on the job. On February 21, he slipped on ice, injuring his hip and back. On March 18, he suffered a lower back sprain. He left his job on June 27

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A Landscape View of Privacy Protection Issues
June 30, 2012 | Professional Liability | Intellectual Property | Labor & Employment | Complex Torts & Product Liability | Appeals

Please click the link below to view “A Landscape View of Privacy Issues.” Adobe Reader is required to view the bulletin. If Adobe Reader is not installed on your PC, click here to download and install.

A Landscape View of Privacy Issues

Reprinted with permission.  All rights reserved.

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Appellate Term Establishes New Burden of Proof in Body Shop Litigation
June 30, 2012 | Insurance Coverage | Appeals

In recent years, there has been uncertainty as to the standards to be applied when automobile repair shops challenge the conduct of automobile insurers in regard to the negotiation and payment of collision repair costs.  In Nadel v. Allstate Insurance Company, 2012 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1527 (N.Y. App. Term 2d Dep’t 2012), the Appellate

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An End To The Uncertainty: Your Life Estate (and other non-probate assets) Are Safe From Medicaid
June 30, 2012 | Trusts & Estates

Retained life estates are once again protected from Medicaid claims.  A common elder law technique is for an individual to transfer the ownership of their house to their children, while keeping the right to live in the house for their life.  This is called a “retained life estate”.  At death, the house would immediately

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Independent Trustees: How Much Is Enough Discretion?
June 30, 2012 | Trusts & Estates

When a Testator creates a Qualified Terminable Interest Property (QTIP) Trust or a Credit Shelter Trust under his or her Will, the Testator’s spouse is always a beneficiary of the QTIP Trust and frequently a beneficiary of the Credit Shelter Trust. The Testator will often appoint his or her spouse and another individual –

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Alimony Trusts
June 30, 2012 | Trusts & Estates

Trusts have become increasingly popular for asset protection and tax planning and yet the skills of an estate planning attorney are frequently not considered relevant when prenuptial agreements or divorce settlements are contemplated.  This misstep results in the loss of many estate and tax planning opportunities.  For example, one useful option to consider when

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Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act, Limits Medicaid Expansion Provision – A Rivkin Radler LLP Analysis
June 29, 2012 | Health Services

In what many are calling its most important decision since Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court largely upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “Act”). Chief Justice Roberts delivered the 5-4 ruling of the Court, upholding all of the provisions of the Act, except for a narrow portion of the Act’s Medicaid expansion.

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Music To Their Ears: What’s An ASCAP License Worth?
June 26, 2012 | Intellectual Property | Complex Torts & Product Liability | Professional Liability

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”), which represents music composers, writers, and publishers and which has the non-exclusive right to license the non-dramatic public performances of its members’ music, was formed in 1914.[1] As technologies have evolved over the past century, so has ASCAP’s role.  It is inconceivable that performers at the

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OIG Warns Against Certain Arrangements Between Anesthesiologists and ASCs
June 15, 2012 | Corporate | Health Services

The Office of the Inspector General (the “OIG”) recently issued Advisory Opinion No 12-06 (the “Opinion”) on two proposed arrangements between the exclusive providers of anesthesia services to a group of ASCs (the “Provider”) and physician-owned ASCs (the “ASC”).  Briefly stated, the Provider wished to enter into one of two possible arrangements to provide anesthesia

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