Measuring the premises in advance of the letter of intent can help to avoid backtracking on points and re-negotiating the business deal during the lease negotiation process.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently issued the first circuit-level decision regarding what sort of damages are subject to the cap imposed by Bankruptcy Code '502(b)(6) on landlords' claims arising from a debtor's rejection of a nonresidential real property lease.
There comes a time in the life of almost every company when it will engage in a major construction effort. Here are 10 basic suggestions from a seasoned construction litigator, who has spent 20 years working on the back end of troubled projects, to help you on your way to a successful — even though it may, at times, seem stressful — project.
More than a century ago, many states began to protect policyholders from insurance company efforts to deny coverage on the grounds of alleged falsehoods in the application for insurance, when such alleged misstatements were not material to the insurance company's decision to sell the coverage. While insurance companies have attempted by various methods to avoid such protections, courts generally have rejected these efforts and upheld statutory limitations on an insurance company's right to void coverage.
A recent decision by the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts appears to be the first to squarely address whether or not an excess insurer is bound to a primary insurer's coverage and settlement decisions by virtue of the 'follow form' nature of the excess policy. The court, relying in part on legal decisions upholding the separate and independent nature of primary and excess insurance contracts (and the rights and responsibilities under each), held that follow form excess insurers are not so bound.
Directors and officers are developing strategies to address the business impact of climate change and the potential financial impact of current and future greenhouse gas regulation. Among the challenges they face are how to address disclosure obligations related to these financial risks and how to maximize potential insurance coverage under directors' and officers' liability insurance policies should climate-related claims be asserted.
A majority of courts consider the <i>contra proferentem</i> doctrine to be a pillar of insurance law. The doctrine requires ambiguous terms in an insurance policy to be construed against the insurer and in favor of coverage for the insured. A prominent rationale behind the doctrine is that insurance policies are usually standard-form contracts drafted entirely by insurers.
Like poorly-behaved school children, new technologies and intellectual property (IP) are increasingly disrupting the M&A establishment. Cybersecurity has become the latest disruptive newcomer to the M&A party.
Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.
In an effort to minimize the release of toxic gasses from cables in the event of fire, the 2002 version of the National Electric Code ("NEC"), promulgated by the National Fire Protection Association, sets forth new guidelines requiring that abandoned cables must be removed from buildings unless they are located in metal raceways or tagged "For Future Use." While the NEC is not, in itself, binding law, most jurisdictions in the United States adopt the NEC by reference in their state or local building and fire codes. Thus, noncompliance with the recent NEC guidelines will likely mean that a building is in violation of a building or fire code. If so, the building owner may also be in breach of agreements with tenants and lenders and may be jeopardizing its fire insurance coverage. Even in jurisdictions where the 2002 NEC has not been adopted, it may be argued that the guidelines represent the standard of reasonable care and could result in tort liability for the landlord if toxic gasses from abandoned cables are emitted in a fire. With these potential liabilities in mind, this article discusses: 1) how to address the abandoned wires and cables currently located within the risers, ceilings and other areas of properties, and 2) additional considerations in the placement and removal of telecommunications cables going forward.
Parties in large non-consumer transactions with no connection whatsoever to New York often choose its law to govern their transactions, and New York statutes permit them to do so. What most people do not know is that the New York Uniform Commercial Code is outdated.
