Flood of Litigation: The Water Damage Exclusion
On Aug. 29, 2006, Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest and costliest natural disasters ever to strike the United States, hit New Orleans and Mississippi. With winds recorded at over 135 mph, the hurricane caused severe damage to much of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. The worst was yet to come, however. Following the storm, the levees built to protect the city, which is mostly below sea level, failed to retain the water. This resulted in more than 80% of the city being flooded. This catastrophic flooding caused billions in damages and sparked the current storm of insurance coverage litigation.
Court Watch
Highlights of the latest franchising cases from around the country.
District Court Interprets Kentucky Franchise Covenants Not-to-Compete
In <i>Papa John's International, Inc. v. Rezko et al.</i>, 2006 WL 1697134 (N.D. Ill.), the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois was called upon to determine whether a post-term covenant not-to-compete was reasonable in scope. The defendant alleged that the covenant would bar him from the restaurant business nearly everywhere in the country. In the limited procedural posture of the case (a motion to dismiss), the court allowed the claim of unreasonableness to go forward.
Policy and Regulatory Outlook: 2007 ' Franchise Industry Eyes New Congress
With the recent Congressional elections returning leadership of the U.S. Senate and House to Democrats for the first time in more than a decade, the business community is keenly interested in the priorities of the new Congress. While it is apparent that Congress will initially focus on issues outside the direct domain of franchising (Iraq, Congressional ethics, etc.), numerous matters of importance to franchisors and franchisees are on the table, too.
Features
Emfore v. Blimpie: License to Commit Fraud or Common-Sense Decision?
Better ingredients, it is said, make for a better pizza, and, as <i>Emfore Corp. v. Blimpie Associates, Ltd.</i> (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Sept. 18, 2006) suggests, better documents make for better decisions, at least if you are the franchisor.
Features
In the Marketplace
Highlights of the latest equipment leasing news from around the country.
Features
The USA PATRIOT Act Renewed: Reassessing Money Laundering Risk in Finance Transactions
Part One of this series discussed how the federal government is stepping up its aggressive enforcement of anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism ('AML/CFT'). This second installment addresses action steps for leasing and financing businesses affected by the AML/CFT program.
Features
The Credit Agency Reform Act: What Leasing Companies Need to Know
Any equipment leasing or finance company desiring to access the debt capital markets must quickly become adept at dealing with a unique feature of that world: the credit rating and its gatekeeper, the credit rating agency. Entering this realm can be a jolt for finance officers used to the relationship-friendly, competitive environment of commercial banks. Dominated by two monoliths, Standard & Poor's and Moody's, the rating agency process is steeped in the clinical analytics of credit modeling. Rating agencies are viewed by many as academic in perspective and, to some, remote and obscure in their approach.
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