Conversation at the 41st annual International Franchise Association Legal Symposium focused on the challenges that franchisors and franchisees are facing in obtaining financing for continuing operations and expansion, as well as other impacts of the two-year U.S. recession.
In last month's issue, we discussed a decision in in which a Supreme Court judge in Manhattan dismissed a divorced man's suit to recover from his ex-wife half of what he lost by taking investments in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme in their divorce settlement. The discussion concludes herein.
The Eleventh Circuit case In re Delco Oil, Inc. (Marathon Petroleum Co., LLC v. Cohen), serves as an important reminder for suppliers to monitor a customer's bankruptcy filing and to confirm the rules for doing business before delivering goods to a debtor.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently weighed in on the proper measurement of business interruption claims, particularly those following a catastrophic event that affects an entire region or industry.
A large number of lawsuits already have been filed against the entities associated with the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig, many of which raise interesting coverage issues, particularly with respect to specialty environmental coverages and first-party business interruption and damage claims. Even more significant insurance exposures may be posed in the future, however, as new parties are joined to the litigation and general liability policies are tested in response to third-party claims for bodily injury and property damage.
The federal government prohibits "any person" from intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications. Federal Wiretapping Act, 18 U.S.C. ' 2511(1). Though "any person" sounds universal enough, the definition of "any person" is complicated by exceptions created by federal circuit courts.
The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued guidance covering situations in which a pension plan, by virtue of its holdings of its employer's stock, is a potential claimant in a securities fraud suit.
If a would-be intern or trainee is actually an employee by another name, an employment relationship exists, and the intern or trainee is entitled to all the benefits and protections of federal law. These include the rights to minimum wage, overtime, and a discrimination-free workplace.
Understanding how providers address the rating categories of the ACC Value Index as part of their everyday services and practices will make it much easier to assess the value received ' and should result in a much more predictable, cost-effective approach for managing the process.
