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New York's No Prejudice Rule
New York law has traditionally been more faithful than that of many jurisdictions to the principle that an insurance contract, like any other, is “to be construed according to the sense and meaning” of its terms and, if those terms are clear and unambiguous, they are to be “taken and understood in their plain, ordinary, and proper sense.” Preston v. Aetna Insurance Co., 193 N.Y. 142 (1908).
As the New York Court of Appeals once more colorfully put it, “Unless we are prepared to adopt the theory of the cynic that language was invented for the purpose of concealing thought, we have no right to disregard the clear provisions which defendant inserted in the policy and which plaintiff accepted.” Johnson v. Travelers Insurance Co., 269 N.Y. 401 (1936). This respect for the written word in the contract of insurance has resulted in New York's rule that an insured which breaches a policy condition is barred from recovery in the same manner as any other contracting party which breaches
a condition of a contract, without any attendant requirement that the insurer demonstrate prejudice as a result of the breach. As succinctly stated by Justice Cardozo, “When the condition was broken, the policy was at an end[.]” Coleman v. New Amsterdam Casualty Co., 247 N.Y. 271, 277 (1928).
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.
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.
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?
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.