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August 15, 2014
Publication - White Collar Defense & Investigations
In an article published in Today's General Counsel, Stephen Miller, a member of the Commercial Litigation Department, and Brian Kint, an associate in the Commercial Litigation Department, discuss the dispute involving the privileged status of documents created during internal code of business conduct (COBC) investigations conducted by Kellogg Brown & Root, Inc. The case serves as a reminder that reasonable jurists can evaluate privilege issues differently and gives examples of how companies can strengthen any assertion of privilege over internal investigation materials.
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August 14, 2014
News - Subrogation & Recovery
David Brisco (Subrogation, San Diego) was voted 2014 Best of the Bar by the San Diego Business Journal. More than 1,000 votes were cast from 146 firms and solo practices throughout the area. Legal professionals throughout the metro area cast votes and were urged to consider not only colleagues at their firms, but also those outside their walls. No one could make the list based solely on votes from others at the same firm. David said, “The best advice I have received as a plaintiff's lawyer is that nobody likes to pay money to someone they don’t like. So not only is it ok to be a lawyer who is nice/professional, but it is in your client’s best interest.”
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August 14, 2014
News
Thomas Wilkinson discusses a federal lawsuit challenging PA rules denying bar admission to attorneys from states lacking reciprocity agreements in Law360.
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August 13, 2014
Publication - Transportation & Logistics Litigation, Transportation & Trade
Two registries of significant interest to shipowners are the registries of the Republics of the Marshall Islands and Liberia. Significantly, insofar as it does not conflict with the statutory laws, each country has adopted the non-statutory general maritime laws of the United States. This gives added certainty to shipowners, particularly those familiar with U.S. maritime laws.
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August 13, 2014
Publication - Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment
On August 11, 2014, Governor Chris Christie signed into law the Opportunity to Compete Act, New Jersey’s version of “ban the box.” When the law takes effect on March 1, 2015, companies who employ 15 or more employees will be prohibited from inquiring orally or on a job application about a job applicant’s criminal history until after the employer conducts a first interview. The Act will also prohibit employers from posting job advertisements that exclude applicants with criminal histories from consideration. Employers will be permitted to inquire about an applicant’s criminal history after the first interview. Moreover, employers may still refuse to hire an applicant based upon the applicant’s criminal record, unless that record has been expunged or erased through executive pardon.
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August 13, 2014
Publication - Transportation & Logistics Litigation, Transportation & Trade
Cooperative agreements among liner shipping companies have existed in most trades for more than 100 years. Most major trading nations in Asia and the Pacific Rim have recognized the importance of these agreements to both the shipping industry and national economies. To the extent that these countries have competition laws that could restrict such agreements, many have found after careful study that these agreements should be afforded an exemption from those competition laws for economic, public policy and international comity reasons.
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August 13, 2014
Publication - Transportation & Logistics Litigation, Transportation & Trade
The recent introduction of H.R. 4727 in the House of Representatives marks the first step toward insulating freight brokers and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) from claims by plaintiffs who seek an alternate source for recovery when a motor truck carrier’s insurance is insufficient to cover the damages that are alleged.
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August 12, 2014
Publication
Aaron Krauss, a member of the Commercial Litigation department, authored a chapter on Cross-Examination in the ABA Trial Practice Committee’s text, ''Trying Your First Case: A Practitioner's Guide.'' The Guide provides practical advice for lawyers who are preparing for their first trial, as well as attorneys who have tried numerous cases. It includes details on how to prepare efficiently, how to cross-examine witnesses, and how to present your case in a professional and informative way.
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August 07, 2014
Publication - Bad Faith, Insurance Coverage - Insurance
In a recent decision in the case of Pyramid Technologies, Inc. v. Hartford Casualty Ins. Co., 752 F.3d 807 (9th Cir., May 19, 2014), the 9th Circuit, relying on California law, upheld a grant of summary judgment dismissing the insured’s business interruption claim as speculative. In addition, by a split decision, it reversed in part and remanded in part the trial court’s exclusion of the testimony from the insured’s expert witnesses under Daubert standards. Finally, and most importantly, the Court of Appeals reversed a grant of summary judgment concerning the insurer’s “genuine dispute” defense, holding that bad faith was an issue for the jury under the facts of the case.
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August 05, 2014
News - Labor & Employment
In an expert Q&A section of What’s Working in HR, David Barron, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Labor & Employment Department, discusses employee requirements when inclement weather forces employers to close for a day. “Under the FLSA, requiring employees to make up lost time after a weather-related closing is permissible – but only for exempt employees, says David.
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August 05, 2014
Publication - Bad Faith, Insurance Coverage - Insurance
A recent 3rd Circuit decision, ArcelorMittal Plate, LLC v. Joulé Technical Services, Inc., 558 Fed.Appx. 205 (3d Cir. 2014) reiterates that under New Jersey law, an insurer does not act in bad faith when denying a claim that is “fairly debatable.” Although the court disagreed with the insurer’s application of the policy’s employer’s liability exclusion to preclude coverage, it also held that there was no basis to impose bad faith liability on the insurer.
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August 04, 2014
Publication - Employment Litigation, Labor & Employment
President Obama does it again, issuing yet another Executive Order aimed at those seeking to do business with the federal government. On July 31, 2014, Obama issued the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, which the White House expects to be implemented in stages on new federal contracts valued at more than $500,000, beginning in 2016. This new Executive Order targets three areas: (1) disclosure to the federal government of a prospective contractor’s labor law violations over the three years preceding the contract; (2) disclosure of information necessary for the employees of federal contractors and subcontractors to verify the accuracy of their paychecks; and (3) for those federal contracts or subcontracts with an estimated value exceeding $1 million, a prohibition against the imposition of pre-dispute arbitration agreements covering claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Title VII), or for torts related to or arising out of sexual assault or harassment.
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August 04, 2014
Publication - Insurance Coverage - Insurance
On July 21, 2014, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court recently held, as a matter of first impression, that the Continuance of Coverage Provision of the Pennsylvania insurance insolvency statute, 40 P.S. § 221.21, precludes coverage for all “risks in effect” under an insurance policy, even when the policy was cancelled prior to liquidation.
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August 04, 2014
News - Subrogation & Recovery
Hayes Hunt, Chair of the Pro Bono Committee, and Dan Luccaro, member of the Subrogation and Recovery Practice Group, discuss Cozen O'Connor's CoVet Program in an article titled "Cozen Attorneys Guide Vets Through Benefit Claims Maze."
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July 31, 2014
News
House Republicans came to an agreement on Wednesday authorizing Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) a lawsuit against President Barack Obama.
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July 30, 2014
News
Bob Hayes and Matthew Glazer, members of Cozen O’Connor’s Commercial Litigation Department, recently obtained a favorable ruling on behalf of Comcast-Spectacor in a breach of contract suit against the former owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, in which the plaintiffs alleged they were deprived of fees relating to finding a buyer during the sale of the team.
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Chief Judge Petrese B. Tucker granted summary judgment in favor of Comcast-Spectacor. The ruling served as a reversal to a prior decision by Tucker in which she said ambiguities in the written language of the contract between the plaintiffs and defendant necessitated further examination of the case by a jury. Tucker said in her opinion that a reversal was necessary because the court failed to address certain portions of the contract.
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July 30, 2014
News - Subrogation & Recovery
Megan Peitzke, a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Subrogation Department, will be receiving The Lawrence J. Blake Award from the Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA) Barristers. Megan served as Secretary of the BHBA Barristers Board of Governors from 2011 to 2013 and has served as a Barristers Board member since 2007. She was recently elected to the BHBA Board of Governors for a two-year term.
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July 30, 2014
Publication - Insurance Coverage, Professional Liability Insurance Coverage - Insurance
In an article published in Law360, Angelo Savino and Julie Albright of the Global Insurance Department discuss unfinished business claims. In a departure from Jewel v. Boxer, the decisions in the cases of Thelen LLP and Heller Ehrman LLP reflect a shift in the manner by which courts treat trustees’ claims for post-dissolution fees, say Angelo Savino and Julie Moeller Albright of Cozen O'Connor.
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July 30, 2014
News
A Pennsylvania federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit in which two sports industry veterans sought a $2 million finder's fee from Comcast Spectacor LP, the former owner of the Philadelphia 76ers, stemming from the 2011 sale of the franchise. U.S. District Judge Petrese Tucker ruled that under the agreement Bob Whitsitt — a former owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers — and Thomas Shine signed with Comcast Spectacor, the pair were obligated to identify the proposed purchaser to the team in order to collect their fee.
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July 29, 2014
News - Insurance Coverage, Subrogation & Recovery
Cozen O'Connor has been recognized as the “Litigation Department of the Year – Insurance” and named a finalist in the “Litigation Department of the Year – Commercial Litigation (Large Firm)” category by The Legal Intelligencer.
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