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November 01, 2014
Publication - Business, Public & Project Finance
Mark Vacha discusses bond requirements that can help your township communicate
more effectively with counsel and enhance compliance after bonds to finance an upcoming project are issued.
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October 31, 2014
Publication
In an article titled “Pennsylvania Water Law: Contamination Incidents and Liability,” Dexter Hamilton, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Commercial Litigation Department, Michael Klein, co-chair of the firm’s Energy & Utilities Industry team, and Thomas Leonard, an associate in the Commercial Litigation Department, address recent water contamination incidents and the inevitable legal actions that follow.
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October 30, 2014
Publication
In an article titled “Judicial Conference Further Amends Proposed Discovery Rule Changes in Response to Extensive Comments,” Thomas Wilkinson, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Commercial Litigation Department, and Joshua Ruby, an associate in the Commercial Litigation Department, discuss the Judicial Conference Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure’s (Standing Committee) amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Absent changes imposed by the Supreme Court and Congress, the new rules will go into effect on December 1, 2015. Although not as expansive as the draft amendments proposed last year, the proposals substantially revise the Rules governing discovery practice in the federal courts.
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October 28, 2014
News - Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment
In an article titled ''On Halloween, employees should save the sexy maid outfit for after work,'' David Barron, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Labor & Employment Department, offers some do’s and don’ts to guard against sexual harassment and discrimination claims when it comes to picking a costume for the office Halloween party.
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October 27, 2014
Publication - Aviation, Aviation Litigation, Transportation & Trade, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) / Drones - Aviation
This edition of the Cozen O’Connor Aviation Regulatory Update covers comments filed on DOT’s Passenger Protection Rulemaking #3, the FAA’s continuing plans for NextGen implementation, federal agency statements on the Ebola virus and its potential impact on air travel, the expansion of commercial drone operations, new enforcement actions by DOT and the FAA, and changes to regulations and policies affecting the aviation industry.
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October 25, 2014
News - Family Law
Jennifer Brandt, a member of Cozen O'Connor's Family Law practice group, was a guest on Fox 29 Weekend to discuss the recent Pennsylvania judicial scandal and tips to protect yourself when sending emails or posting on social media.
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October 23, 2014
News - Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment
In an article titled ''Nazis and naughty nurses: 4 bone-chilling dangers of your office Halloween party,'' David Barron, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Labor & Employment Department, alerts employers to a number of labor and employment issues that might arise from the annual Halloween costume party.
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October 22, 2014
Publication - White Collar Defense & Investigations
In an article published in The Legal Intelligencer, Hayes Hunt, a member of Cozen O'Connor's Commercial Litigation Department, and Arthur Fritzinger, an associate in the Commercial Litigation Department, discuss the importance of having clear policies in place to quickly root out potential wrongdoing and thoroughly investigate issues that arise within the organization. Employee wrongdoing may be unavoidable within a large organization, but every company has the ability to limit its impact.
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October 22, 2014
News - Family Law
Jennifer Brandt, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Family Law practice group, appears in the Jewish Exponent’s October 23 Newsmakers of the Week column. The column highlights Jennifer’s recent selection as one of Main Line Today’s ‘’Power Women.’’
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October 21, 2014
News - Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment
Michael Schmidt, vice chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Labor & Employment Department, discusses some of the legal risks employers should consider when hosting a Halloween office party in an interview on CBS Newsradio / WSJ Radio Network.
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October 20, 2014
Publication - Insurance Coverage, Professional Liability Insurance Coverage - Insurance
The Washington Supreme Court addressed two issues of first impression regarding legal malpractice claims in Schmidt v. Coogan, No. 88460-9, (October 9, 2014) and held: (1) that “uncollectibility” is an affirmative defense to a claim of legal malpractice, and (2) emotional distress damages are not available in a legal malpractice claim based upon a lawyer’s failure to timely file a lawsuit.
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October 20, 2014
Publication - Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment
In an article titled ‘’Internships: Worthwhile Programs or Liability Traps,’’ Michael Schmidt, vice chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Labor & Employment Department, discusses the recent surge in lawsuits brought on behalf of a company’s current (and former) unpaid interns and the steps companies can take in order to avoid such litigation.
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October 17, 2014
Publication - Subrogation & Recovery
Historically, Texas courts have applied the economic loss doctrine (ELD) to bar tort claims (negligence and strict products liability) against a manufacturer or seller of a defective product when the damage is limited to the defective product itself and did not cause damage to a person or to other property. In addition, Texas courts have held that the ELD precludes tort recovery for economic loss arising from a party’s failure to perform under a contract when the harm consists only of the economic loss of a contractual expectancy.
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October 15, 2014
News - Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment
In an article titled “Classified Information,” Debra Friedman, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Labor & Employment Department, discusses the government’s crackdown on misclassification of employees as independent contractors. According to Friedman, misclassification of employees has serious implications for companies, as they are at risk for investigations and lawsuits from both federal and state governments, as well as private lawsuits from individuals or classes of individuals.
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October 09, 2014
News - Insurance Coverage - Insurance
Debbie Minkoff of the Global Insurance Department discusses Babcock & Wilcox Co.’s appeal and what it means for commercial policyholders in Law360.
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October 09, 2014
Publication - Aviation, Transportation & Trade - Aviation
David Heffernan of Transportation & Logistics in Washington, DC has edited a special issue of the American Bar Association’s Air & Space Lawyer publication focusing on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s pending rule making on airline “passenger protections.”
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October 08, 2014
News - Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment
In an article titled “The Trouble with Medical-History Requests,” Debra Friedman, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Labor & Employment Department, discusses Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Cummins Power Generation Inc., in which the EEOC alleges Cummins improperly required an employee to undergo a fitness-for-duty examination and to sign a release for all of his medical records. The case is one of very few GINA lawsuits to date. ''HR should make sure there is a permissible purpose for conducting a fitness-for-duty exam or asking for medical information. Then it's very important that it is narrowly tailored to that permissible purpose,'' said Debra.
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October 02, 2014
Publication - Appellate
In an article titled ''U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies Standards for Restitution Orders,'' Stephen Miller, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Commercial Litigation Department, and Kaitlin DiNapoli, an associate in the Commercial Litigation Department, discuss Paroline v. United States, in which the Court crafted a new causation standard for awards of restitution following federal criminal convictions.
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October 02, 2014
News - Family Law
Jennifer Brandt, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Family Law Practice and editor of the blog ''Family Law Focus,'' was selected by Main Line Today as one of their 2014 ''Power Women.'' Jennifer has built an active family law practice, representing parties in divorce, custody, and support/alimony matters throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She also negotiates prenuptial, post-nuptial and cohabitation agreements. Recognized as a legal expert by the media, Jennifer appears regularly on national and local television and radio. She can be seen on CNN, Fox News Network, MSNBC, Headline News, ABC and NBC, as well as a number of Philadelphia-area news programs.
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October 01, 2014
Publication - Condominiums & Cooperatives, Real Estate
Leni Morrison Cummins, a member in the firm's Real Estate Group, discusses sponsors of condominium conversions and the ownership and funding of reserve funds.
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