Policies

EPA, DOJ Lawsuit vs. Oil Company Shines Light on Trump Executive Order

Attorneys for an energy company being sued by the federal government say lawyers for the Environmental Protection Agency are defying one of President Trump’s executive orders that, if obeyed, would essentially kill the agency’s lawsuit against the company. The accusation against the EPA, and their Justice Department (DOJ) lawyers, is the latest episode in a five-year-old fight between the …


Oakland Joins Lawsuit Challenging Trump Order on Sanctuary Cities

The city of Oakland this week joined dozens of other cities and counties around the country in filing a “friend of the court” brief supporting a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order to deny federal funds to sanctuary cities. On Wednesday, 34 cities and counties, including Oakland, New Orleans, Chicago, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, filed the brief in …


This May Not Be the News You Want but Bringing a Lawsuit Just Got Easier

There is some bad news for people who fret our society is excessively litigious. A startup in the normally stuffy insurance industry has just made bringing a lawsuit less risky. Level Insurance ( as in “level playing field’’), founded by trial attorneys and law partners Larry Bassuk and Justin Leto of Miami, Florida, now offers a Litigation Cost Protection’ policy that will pay some of the …


New Jersey Supreme Court Issues Ruling in $500M Contamination Lawsuit

The New Jersey Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Givaudan Fragrances Corporation (Fragrances) in a $500 million insurance coverage lawsuit against Aetna Casualty & Surety Company and additional insurers named as defendants. The move affirms that New Jersey policyholders do not lose coverage when a company restructures, as an anti-assignment clause is not a barrier to the post-loss assignment …


Samantha Ramsey Wrongful-Death Lawsuit Settled for $3.5 Million

Attorneys Al Gerhardstein and Jeff Mando said Wednesday that the civil lawsuit brought by the family of Samantha Ramsey was settled by an agreement between the parties on Tuesday. The terms of the settlement include a payment of $3.5 million to cover all damage claims, attorney fees and expenses, a joint news release stated. Additionally, the release stated, the Boone County Sheriff’s …


Life Insurance Customers Push Back Over Surprise Cost Increases

Americans are starting to fight back against a wave of insurance-price increases on decades-old life policies. Over the past year, several major insurers have notified tens of thousands of people of higher costs to keep their policies in force, with increases ranging from midsingle-digit percentages to more than 200%, according to financial advisers. To justify the increases, they blamed the …



Postcard-Only Rule for Inmate Mail Spurs Lawsuit in Kansas

A Kansas sheriff’s jail policy allowing inmates to receive and send only postcards through the mail violates the free speech and due process rights of prisoners and their families, civil rights advocates said in a lawsuit filed Thursday. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Social Justice Law Collective are seeking a court order to end the practice. Their lawsuit, which seeks …


Federal Court Rules CGL Insurance Covers Data Breach

A federal appeals court in Virginia has upheld a lower federal court in ruling that a commercial general liability policy (CGL) may cover a data breach. In a case involving the publication of private medical records on the internet, the courts found that coverage included in a CGL for personal and advertising injury applied. Monday’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit is a …


Long-Term Care Insurance: Less Bang, More Bucks

Mary Julia Klimenko thought she was prudent 20 years ago when she invested in a long-term care insurance policy, one she believed would help pay for the care she’d need as she aged. Now she wishes she’d banked the money instead. Her monthly premiums have nearly quadrupled over the past two years, and Klimenko, 69, is furious about the choices she’s been given: pay the higher cost, lower her …