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Automobile Lessors Beware: Vicarious Liability in Three States
A Rhode Island Supreme Court decision has caused lessors to think twice about leasing motor vehicles in the State of Rhode Island. In Oliveira v. Lombardi, 794 A.2d 453 (R.I. 2002), the Rhode Island Supreme Court held that two automobile leasing companies may be held vicariously liable under Rhode Island's vicarious liability statutes for the negligence of drivers operating motor vehicles titled in the leasing companies' name.
The court took a somewhat unique position in combining two cases with similar legal and factual issues. The plaintiff in the first case suffered severe injuries when her car was rear-ended by a teenager driving his father's car leased from Chase Manhattan Automotive Finance Corporation, the registered owner of the motor vehicle. In addition to suing the driver's father, the plaintiff sued Chase as the owner/lessor under Rhode Island's vicarious liability statutes. The plaintiff in the second case also suffered severe injuries in an accident involving a leased motor vehicle, but the lessor in this case was Gold Key Lease, Inc. The plaintiff sued the lessee, the third party operator (as permitted by the lease agreement), and Gold Key. Similar to the Chase case, the plaintiff alleged that Gold Key, as the record owner of the vehicle, was subject to Rhode Island's vicarious liability statutes.
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
Judge Rules Shaquille O'Neal Will Face Securities Lawsuit for Promotion, Sale of NFTs
A federal district court in Miami, FL, has ruled that former National Basketball Association star Shaquille O'Neal will have to face a lawsuit over his promotion of unregistered securities in the form of cryptocurrency tokens and that he was a "seller" of these unregistered securities.
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Blockchain Domains: New Developments for Brand Owners
Blockchain domain names offer decentralized alternatives to traditional DNS-based domain names, promising enhanced security, privacy and censorship resistance. However, these benefits come with significant challenges, particularly for brand owners seeking to protect their trademarks in these new digital spaces.
Coverage Issues Stemming from Dry Cleaner Contamination Suits
In recent years, there has been a growing number of dry cleaners claiming to be "organic," "green," or "eco-friendly." While that may be true with respect to some, many dry cleaners continue to use a cleaning method involving the use of a solvent called perchloroethylene, commonly known as perc. And, there seems to be an increasing number of lawsuits stemming from environmental problems associated with historic dry cleaning operations utilizing this chemical.