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Second Circuit Reins in Risk of 'At-Issue' Attorney-Client Privilege Waivers
In law, exceptions can swallow the rules if the rule-makers are not careful. One area of particular concern is when the privilege over communications with lawyers is called into question because those communications have been invoked to show someone's good faith in attempting to follow the law.
In the Courts
An in-depth analysis of recent rulings.
Business Crimes Hotline
Recent national rulings of interest.
Expect Increased Criminal Enforcement of Employment Taxes
With ever widening budget deficits and economic limitations on raising taxes, the IRS will go in the only direction it can, that is, to mine the "tax gap" ' the difference between the taxes that should have been collected under current law and those that actually are collected.
The Law Enforcement Response to the Financial Crisis
As the financial crisis has deepened, the pressure for prosecutions from politicians, the media and the public has grown. In turn, federal and state law enforcement and regulatory agencies have devoted vast resources to investigating the crisis.
Hope and Change
The combination of new people, priorities, resources and coordination ' coupled with public and Congressional outrage ' promises to bring a surge of white-collar enforcement, but perhaps accompanied by some sanity in sentencing.
Strategy for the Secured Creditor in a Single Asset Real Estate Case
The Bankruptcy Code ' 362(d)(3) provides unique grounds for stay relief by permitting a creditor secured by a bankruptcy debtor's "single asset real estate" to pursue an act against the property as early as 90 days after the case's filing. To take full advantage of this provision, however, secured creditors should carefully manage the dual time frames set forth in this Bankruptcy Code section.
Companies Filing for Bankruptcy, and SEC Fraud Enforcement Actions
A recent study found that companies filing for bankruptcy protection were three times more likely than non-bankrupt companies to face enforcement action by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to alleged financial statement fraud.
How to Identify a Non-Statutory Insider
Recently, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the lower courts' rulings that a public company was an insider of another non-affiliated public company and was therefore required to return a $188.2 million payment made over four months before the debtor's bankruptcy filing. This decision, illustrates how critical it is for lenders and vendors to conform their conduct toward troubled companies so as to reduce their risk of being deemed non-statutory insiders.
The Myth of Certainty
In the constantly evolving world of e-commerce, legal contracts may be no more credible than tidbits found in the muck of online fact, fiction and plain nonsense that make sites such as Snopes.com so vital to separating Internet reality from Internet fraud. The truth is that no matter how well an attorney writes a contract, or Web site terms and conditions, another attorney can usually find a way to attack what the first one wrote.

MOST POPULAR STORIES

  • The 'Sophisticated Insured' Defense
    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.
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  • Abandoned and Unused Cables: A Hidden Liability Under the 2002 National Electric Code
    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.
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