Recordings of these husband/paramour and mother/child conversations are inadmissible in court because they are the fruit of what, under New York law, is criminal eavesdropping ' none of the parties to the conversations have consented to the recording. However, sound recordings of relevant events are admissible in evidence as long as a proper foundation is laid.

Traditional attorney immunity to suits by non-clients is under a new line of attack that threatens to vitiate the general rule. The threat is exemplified by a recent insurance-related decision of the Arizona Court of Appeals, <i>Chalpin v. Snyder</i>, wherein the court largely ignored the customary exceptions and permitted non-clients to pursue causes of action against attorneys for aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duty by their client.

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Features

Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.

Recent rulings of interest to you and your practice.

During the existing economic downturn, there has been much litigation seeking downward modification of support orders in New York. This two-part article discusses the trend in New York and other states to deny downward modifications.

The Florida Supreme Court recently ruled that false light invasion of privacy is not a valid cause of action in Florida, opting instead for a new claim titled "defamation by implication."

In high net worth divorce cases, the amount of maintenance to be paid to the non-wage earner spouse is often a critical issue for determination. In those situations, a family law practitioner should seriously consider using a lifestyle expert to assist the court in establishing lifestyle and reasonable living expenses.