The pandemic has prompted the reallocation of hospital beds from psychiatric care to treatment of COVID patients. This has occurred as mental illness has been on the rise. To cope with the insufficient number of psychiatric beds, it is important for hospitals to curtail readmissions. An often-underutilized tool to do so is the assisted outpatient

Nearly a decade ago, in October 2011, Preet Bharara, then serving as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced pension disability fraud charges against a number of individuals associated with the Long Island Railroad (LIRR). The complaint estimated a potential loss to the Railroad Retirement Board of more than $1 billion in

Court Rules That Assault And Battery Exclusion Precludes Coverage For Slip And Fall On Spilled Drinks During Melee

C&S Franklin Realty (a landlord) filed a declaratory judgment action against the insurer of C&S’s tenant (a nightclub), seeking additional insured coverage for an underlying personal injury action alleging a slip and fall on spilled drinks “due

As if having to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic was not enough for law firms and clients, this year has seen a striking number of data breaches, privacy-related lawsuits, and government enforcement proceedings, as well as large settlements of new and older claims. Indeed, on December 8, 2020, in perhaps the ultimate 2020 irony, cybersecurity

On December 15, 2020, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed long-awaited changes to the New York State Power of Attorney law. The changes are intended to make the power of attorney easier to use, provide a framework for acceptance or rejection of the power of attorney and clarify the power and obligations of an agent.

1. Your

Gregory Miller’s article, “Concise-ly is Not Nice,” was recently published in the Writer’s Corner of the New Jersey Lawyer.

Click here to read the full article.

Spending time with family is always important, especially during the holiday season. The holidays are different this year, due to the pandemic, and spending time with loved ones in skilled nursing facilities requires additional planning.

In response to recent spikes in Covid-19 cases in skilled nursing facilities, the New York Department of Health in November

Here is what we cover in our December Insurance Update.

• In a case of first impression, the Illinois Supreme Court construes a mechanical device exclusion in an auto policy.
• A New Jersey federal judge considers whether an insured is covered under its E&O policy for an email spoofing scheme.
• Federal courts in California and

As we have previously reported, New York State Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed into law a new comprehensive sick-leave program for all New York employees. The sick-leave law became effective September 30, 2020, for the purposes of accruing leave, and employees are eligible to take sick leave under the law as early as January 1,

The rise of social media and online reviews has created a dilemma: How can an attorney respond to a negative review without violating ethical or professional responsibility? Just as many merchants respond to online customer reviews, many attorneys may feel the urge to rebut negative reviews posted about them online, be they from disgruntled clients

On November 3, 2020, California voters approved the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which amends the previously enacted California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). As with the CCPA, businesses physically located outside of California may be subject to the CPRA if they do business in California.

The CPRA expands on the already vigorous privacy

A business’ risk of suffering a cyber event is often discussed, but not always easy to quantify. Recently, Allianz Global Corporate & Security analyzed its experience with cyber insurance claims over the past several years as a basis for its report, “Managing The Impact of Increasing Interconnectivity: Trends in Cyber Risk.” Its conclusions may help

Michael Heller’s article, “Banks Have Much at Risk in Battle Over Powers of Attorney in New York” was published in Pratt’s Banking Law Journal.

Click here to read the article.

The Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services (OIG) has finalized new safe harbors and modifications of existing safe harbors under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) to reflect a policy priority favoring a value-based health care system that “pays for health and outcomes” and that will “remove potential barriers to more effective

New York has recently enacted a new anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) statute, which provides additional remedies for the defense of frivolous lawsuits brought to deter the exercise of free speech and public petition rights. N.Y. Civil Right Law, §76-a(1)(a) now defines an “action involving public petition and participation” (i.e. a SLAPP action) broadly