The Fifth Amendment “not only protects the individual against being involuntarily called as a witness against himself in a criminal prosecution but also privileges him not to answer official questions put to him in any other proceeding, civil or criminal, formal or informal, where the answers might incriminate him in future criminal proceedings.” Lefkowitz v. Turley,

Criminal defendants convicted of insurance fraud may challenge forfeiture amounts requested by prosecutors as excessive in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In recent years, various decisions by federal district courts in New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit have helped to explain the standard for calculating

The cannabis industry is growing in leaps and bounds, but entrepreneurs interested in developing cannabis companies – as well as business people interested in investing in them – must make certain that they know what they are getting themselves into. That is where “due diligence,” including understanding how the bankruptcy law applies to

Federal District Court Denies Insured’s Request To Add Claim For Bad Faith And Consequential Damages Based On Insurer’s Denial Of Coverage

In this declaratory judgment action, the insured filed a motion for leave to add a new claim against his insurer for its alleged “bad faith” failure to indemnify him in the underlying bodily injury

Michael Heller published the article, “Electronic Closings: Key Issues for Banks” in The Banking Law Journal.

Click here to read the article.

As unique as the past term of the New York Court of Appeals was – taking place in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led the Court to eliminate oral arguments in March, April, and May and to hear oral arguments in June via videoconferencing – there were some important similarities to prior terms.

Nancy Del Pizzo’s articles, “Judges take notice of gender neutrality in legal writing” and “The Thoughtful Lawyer is a Better Writer,” were published in the Writer’s Corner of the New Jersey Lawyer magazine in February and August 2020, respectively.

Click here to read the February article.

Click here to read the August article.

The duty to defend takes center stage in this month’s Insurance Update, and particularly, when extrinsic evidence may be considered in assessing that duty.

As it’s back to school time (whether virtually or in person), we thought we’d begin with a short quiz.

Which of the following circumstances gives rise to an insurer’s duty to

For as long as companies have used internet applications, private and publicly owned businesses, law firms and other professional services organizations, and even public entities have faced potentially devastating financial harm and loss of public good will from “business email compromise” (BEC) fraud.

A recent report by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) of the

The EEOC recently issued new guidance regarding employees who legally use, or have previously used, opioids. The guides provide important clarification for employees and healthcare providers regarding the interplay between the ADA and the country’s growing opioid crisis.

The new guidance addresses three groups of employees: (1) individuals legally using opioids; (2) individuals who are

It is relatively easy for investors to make investments in cannabis companies. Given the risks, however, they would be well-advised to have an exit plan in the event their investment does not live up to their expectations.

An investor decided to make an investment in a Colorado company that was seeking to create

Peter McNamara’s article, “Reinsurance and BI Claims” has been published in the August 2020 issue of Best’s Review magazine. The article discusses how reinsurers need to evaluate their obligations, especially if legislation is passed expanding their exposure.

Click here to read the article.

Best’s Review:  August 2020. Copyrighted A.M. Best Company, Inc. 2020.  All Rights

Brian Bank published the article, “Cross-Border E-discovery in the Privacy Era,” in the Summer 2020 issue of USLAW Magazine.

Click here to read the article.

New York Court Reaffirms That Contractor’s Defective Work Is Not A Covered “Occurrence”

Anthony and Sandra Tamer hired RD Rice Construction (“Rice”) as a general contractor to gut and rebuild their combined residential co-operative units. After Rice and its subcontractors completed the renovation work, the Tamers complained of a draft so Rice returned and installed

David Richman and Jacqueline Bushwack published the article, “The Invisible Tort: Preparing For The Defense Of COVID-19 Negligence Claims” in Mealey’s Elder Law Report. It was previously published in Mealey’s Personal Injury Report.

The article discusses how lawsuits are likely to be brought up against businesses if someone thinks he or she contracted COVID-19 there.