The Duty to Defend and the Affirmative Defense
Specific jurisdictional flourishes notwithstanding, the duty to defend analysis typically involves some form of the "eight corners rule," whereby the four corners of the insurance policy are measured against the four corners of the complaint (and sometimes extrinsic evidence) in order to determine whether or not the claims set out in the complaint trigger the insurer's duty to defend.
Sexual Harassment in the Legal Profession: It's Time to Make It Stop
In 1992, the American Bar Association implemented a policy to take action on sexual harassment in the legal profession ' stating that it was a "serious problem" constituting a discriminatory and unprofessional practice. According to the report, "lawyers play a special role in educating society about sexual harassment and eliminating it from the workplace.
Sharing Medical Device Mass Tort Actions
A medical device case poses numerous pleading problems. However, before one even reaches the pleading stage, there are major hurdles to consider. The major issue facing the plaintiff's lawyer during client intake is to decide which cases to file immediately and which cases can wait. This depends, of course, on the statute of limitations the lawyer determines will be applicable ' and that is no small task.
Class-Action Arbitrations in Oil and Gas Leases
On Jan. 5, the Third Circuit issued a decision answering the question of whether language in an arbitration clause referencing "the rules of the American Arbitration Association" was sufficient to rebut the presumption that the court, not the arbitrator, decided whether a class action arbitration was agreed to by the parties.
Cyber Insurance Litigation
On Sept. 9, 2015, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield announced a data breach that compromised about 10.5 million people's personal information, including Social Security numbers and medical and financial information. Excellus discovered the data breach during an investigation of its computer system. The breach had occurred on Dec. 23, 2013. A class action has already been filed, and Excellus is cooperating with the FBI.
M&A Litigation in Delaware
Long accepted in Delaware (and in courts throughout the country), "disclosure-only" settlements were common in lawsuits brought by stockholders of a corporation sold in an M&A transaction. These lawsuits alleged that directors of the seller breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the sale price and process, and through allegedly deficient proxy materials provided to stockholders in connection with their vote on the deal. In disclosure-only settlements, the seller would agree to provide additional disclosures in advance of the stockholder vote on the transaction.
Counsel Concerns
Bankruptcy Examiner Issues Report on Interest Conflicts of Caesars' Lawyers
Second Circuit Examines Evolving Infringement Standard
Tasked with formulating a legal definition of "hard-core pornography" in 1964, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart demurred with the famous observation "I know it when I see it." Fifty years later, intellectual property lawyers might be forgiven for falling back on some similar formulation when asked to advise their clients on copyright infringement.
EU Trademark Reform Is Now In Effect
After a long gestation, the EU trademark package entered force on March 23, 2016. It's intended to streamline the trademark application process and will be the largest reform to EU trademark law in 20 years. Here's a summary of the major revisions the entertainment industry should be aware for dealing with any trademark issues in Europe.
