Drug & Device News
The latest pharmaceutical and medical device news of importance to you and your practice.
Features
Third-Party Expert Witness Liability
The opinions offered at trial by expert witnesses are running an increasingly greater gamut of scrutiny. First, they are subject to the judicial scientific reliability tests of Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical Inc., 507 U.S. 579 (1993). Once that hurdle is cleared and the opinion given, the experts can be sued by the party who hired them, both in tort and contract, if the opinion did not live up to the party's expectations.
Features
Nursing Home Litigation and Residents' Rights Statutes
In the recent past, nursing home residents had difficulty in recovering money damages against those facilities. In 1989, Congress enacted its Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, which was a major attempt at reform in the federal regulation of nursing homes. This initiative was intended to dramatically improve the health and safety of nursing home residents through extensive regulations, including the "Residents Bill of Rights," new care standards and new enforcement mechanisms. See 42 U.S.C. '' 1395, 1396 (2000).
Features
Physician and Medical Device Defendants Collaborative Defense Strategies
Politics make strange bedfellows" is an election-year maxim. Sometimes, bitter rivals in primaries become allies after a convention, or forge alliances to get favored bills and "pet" proposals approved. But while politics may make strange bedfellows, it has nothing on personal injury litigation.
Litigation
Recent rulings of importance to you and your practice.
A Sex Change Can Also Change a Marriage
What happens when your husband becomes your wife? If the state you live in recognizes same-sex marriages, you'll be fine, but if it does not, your future may be uncertain.
Features
Reimbursement Alimony: How Much Is That Piece of Paper Worth?
In the past few years, enrollment in graduate programs has reached new levels. Recent college graduates now look to expand their education by obtaining a Masters Degree or Doctorate. Their reasons for attending advanced schooling vary: Whether it is to delay entering the work force or to obtain higher education for increased financial success, the ramifications for a spouse who supports the graduate student can be crucial in marriages of relatively short duration.
Features
New York Broadens Definition of 'Constructive Abandonment'
A recent decision in New York State, extending the present definition of "constructive abandonment" under the grounds for abandonment in New York Domestic Relations Law (DRL) ' 170(2) to include a refusal to engage in "social intercourse," as opposed to "sexual intercourse," merits the attention of bench and bar.
A Primer for Cross-Examining Mental Health Professionals
With well-established boards in place in each of the three major mental health professions, what stimulated the proliferation of credential-granting boards? And why would mental health practitioners seeking recognition of advanced education and training in a specialty area present their credentials to one of the newer, non-traditional boards? A dispassionate examination of our culture provides at least a partial answer. Many of those wishing to lose weight seek to do so without diet or exercise. Many of those wishing for wealth seek to obtain it by playing the lottery. Many of those who tan themselves because they like the "healthy" look are aware that there is nothing remotely healthy about their tans, but seek 'the look' nevertheless. It should not surprise us that many of those who wish to be perceived as proficient in a specialty would prefer the appearance of proficiency to the reality of proficiency because the look can be obtained much more easily.
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MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The 'Sophisticated Insured' DefenseA 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.Read More ›
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- Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric CodeIn 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.Read More ›
- Guidance on Distributions As 'Disbursements' and U.S. Trustee FeesIn a recent case from the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, In re Paragon Offshore PLC, the bankruptcy court provided guidance on whether a post-plan effective date litigation trust's distributions constituted disbursements subject to the U.S. Trustee fee "tax."Read More ›