Earlier this year, Marcelin Fortier (hereinafter the “applicant”) sued his insurer in a case. The Superior Court rendered a decision1 whereby it reiterates the principles applicable to the notion of increased risk in insurance. The case also insisted on the importance of the questions asked by insurers at the time an insurance contract is purchased. On 8 January 2015, the applicant’s home was seriously damaged by fire ...
For years, corporate policyholders lacked a clear path to recovery against their insurance companies under the Texas bad faith statute. The reason for this uncertainty was that some courts required a showing of an injury independent from the loss of policy benefits as a means of recovery under the bad faith statute ...
The Corps Struggles to Balance Competing Constitutional and Statutory Duties Federal agencies must often balance competing policy concerns and legal requirements. This process may be difficult and fraught with intense public feedback, and frequently results in litigation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) has found itself in the hot seat over how it manages the nation’s rivers, pitting its obligations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) against private property rights ...
Geographical indication of origin, this very peculiar form of industrial property protection, has undergone a revival phase over the past few years, thus becoming more omnipresent not only within the circles of interest, but also amongst the Serbian public at large. Although, up to this day, there are only a few dozen geographical indications of origin registered before the Serbian Intellectual Property office, for a country of little over 7 million spread over 80 ...
Barry Buchman, Adrian Azer and Greg Van Houten have joined Haynes and Boone, LLP’s Washington, D.C. office in the Insurance Recovery Practice, expanding the group’s presence coast-to-coast. Partner Barry Buchman brings more than 20 years of experience and looks forward to helping the practice flourish in Washington, D.C., and the East Coast ...
By one account, “the cost of global ransomware attacks will exceed $11.5 billion annually by 2019, up from $5 billion last year and $325 million in 2015” – a 35X increase in just four years.1Relative to other cyber crime, ransomware is an equal opportunity enterprise—striking individuals as well as businesses of all kinds ...
By one account, “the cost of global ransomware attacks will exceed $11.5 billion annually by 2019, up from $5 billion last year and $325 million in 2015” – a 35X increase in just four years.1Relative to other cyber crime, ransomware is an equal opportunity enterprise—striking individuals as well as businesses of all kinds ...
New rules will apply to disability benefit claims and appeals under certain plans that are subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), effective for claims made after April 1, 2018. According to the Department of Labor (DOL), the new rules are intended to provide greater protection to claimants, and are modeled on the enhanced claims and appeals procedures that apply to health benefit claims under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) ...
Legal entities that contract insurance to protect their own assets qualify as consumers within the meaning of the consumer code, says the brazilian Superior Court of Justice (STJ) "[...] the legal entity that takes out insurance seeking to protect its own assets shall be end user of insurance services, thus calling for the application in its favor of the rules provided for in the Consumer Code ...
This year has already been a busy one for seismic activity. In the first weeks of 2018 alone, there have been reports of a 7.9 magnitude quake off the shores of Kodiak, Alaska, a 6.2 magnitude temblor in Japan, and a series of tremors in California. And, few will forget the catastrophic earthquakes that struck Mexico City and the Iraq-Iran border last year ...
At a time when tolerance seems to be an increasingly precious commodity, society can celebrate an awakening intolerance for sexual harassment. For all of the scandal and salacious detail dominating the media in recent months, there is the hope that victims of depravity can find empowerment and healing, if not justice, too ...
The Ugandan Insurance Regulatory Authority (“IRA”) has released clarification on its recently published bancassurance guidelines. Following the publication of the Insurance (Bancassurance) Regulations, 2017, the IRA published guidelines on the licensing of financial institutions as bancassurance agents ...
Employers should recognize three common mistakes in determining a valid workers’ compensation claim and in preparing to defend an invalid claim: 1. Failure to Investigate Thoroughly An initial thorough investigation of a workers’ compensation claim can be the key to determining a valid claim or a successful defense to an invalid claim at hearing. Early investigation allows for comprehensive documents-gathering and discovery ...
The purpose of this alert is to provide victims of the Napa/Sonoma fires a checklist to use when seeking recovery from their insurance companies. Property Insurance policies may provide coverage for damage to both your property and your business. Business losses can result from a variety of causes, all of which may be covered under a property policy ...
I lost my home in the 1991 Oakland Firestorm. As such, my heart goes out to the residents of Napa, Mendocino and Sonoma counties whose homes were damaged or destroyed, to the firefighters and first responders who have risked and are risking their lives, as well as to the community, which will also experience the aftermath of such devastating fires ...
As seen in Law Journal Newsletters The False Claims Act (FCA or Act) can be a real punch in the gut for businesses on the wrong side of an FCA claim. The Act, codified at 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729-3733, is designed to prevent private companies contracting with the government from knowingly submitting false or fraudulent claims for their services ...
Under RERA, the promoter of a real estate project is obliged to obtain the requisite insurance policies required to secure the development of project and insurances as may be notified by the government. The lack of transparency and uniformity in the Indian real estate market has done little to entice insurance companies from tapping into lucrative land deals and developing insurance products for the real estate sector ...
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) contains minimum security standards that Covered Entities and Business Associates must employ to safeguard protected health information (“PHI”). As part of HIPAA’s security standards, Business Associates are obligated to report all security incidents to the Covered Entity ...
The Insurance Act, 2017 (the “Act”) has recently been enacted to reform the law governing insurance in Uganda. The purpose of the Act is to bring Uganda’s insurance law in line with the Insurance Core Principles (“ICPs”) developed by the International Association of Insurance Supervisors and the Financial Action Task Force recommendations on combating money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism ...
The July 2017 issue of the Asian Legal Business (ALB) includes a Philippine regional update by SyCipLaw partner Hiyasmin H. Lapitan and associate Jo Margarette W. Remollo entitled, “Guidelines on Related Party Transactions for Insurers in the Philippines”. The article summarizes the Insurance Commission’s compliance guidelines on related party transactions, as set out in Insurance Circular Letter No. 2017-29 ...
In the days following Hurricane Harvey, tremendous attention has been appropriately placed on individual safety and rescue for the millions affected by the storm’s devastating winds and catastrophic flooding. Now the immediate emphasis for many corporate policyholders has turned to the practical challenge of repairing damaged property and restoring business operations suspended by the storm ...
As Hurricane Harvey continues to cause far-reaching disruptions, it is important to understand how to effectively assert or respond to assertions of force majeure. This summary outlines the steps to take to assert force majeure, and initial considerations for those who have received several notices of force majeure from counterparties ...
Types of Weather-Related Losses for Which Insurance May Be Available Different businesses are affected differently by the same storm, and even the same physical damage. For instance, a physical loss to a part supplier caused by flooding or a lost roof might impact that business as a physical property loss and as a consequential loss of business income. That same event might also indirectly impact a product manufacturer that relies on the part supplier for components to its product ...
As Hurricane Harvey continues to sweep the Texas coastline and destroy property in its path, insureds should take action before September 1st to protect their statutory rights and avoid the changes made under House Bill 1774, also referred to as the “Hail Bill,” which take effect September 1, 2017. The Hail Bill adds “Chapter 542A - Certain Consumer Actions Related to Claims for Property Damage” to the Texas Insurance Code ...
The Insurance (Bancassurance) Regulations, 2017 were recently gazetted, giving effect to bancassurance under the Insurance Act, 2017 (which is yet to commence) and the Financial Institutions Act, 2004.The introduction of Bancassurance in UgandaBancassurance refers to an arrangement where an insurance company uses a bank’s sales channels to sell insurance products ...
