Alabama Supreme Court Reverses Summary Judgment For Attorney In Legal Malpractice Action, Finding A Question Of Fact As To Plaintiff’s “Case Within A Case”

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Alabama Supreme Court Reverses Summary Judgment For Attorney In Legal Malpractice Action, Finding A Question Of Fact As To Plaintiff’s “Case Within A Case”

In Bond v. McLaughlin, 2017 WL 728176, — So.3d — (Ala. 2017), the Alabama Supreme Court reversed summary judgment for an attorney in a legal malpractice action, finding a question of fact as to whether plaintiff could prove her “case within a case.”  In an Alabama legal malpractice action, the plaintiff must prove that the…
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Fourth Circuit Affirms Ruling That Cercla’s Discovery Rule Only Applies Where There Is A Viable Cercla Claim

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has ruled CERCLA’s discovery rule applies to toll West Virginia’s statutes of limitations only where the plaintiff has a viable CERCLA claim.  Blankenship v. Consolidation Coal Company, et al., No. 15-2480 & 2482 (4th Cir., March 7, 2017).  Section 9658 of CERCLA establishes a “federally…
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Pushing Back Against Eeoc Requests For Information And Subpoenas

A recent decision issued by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals provides support for employers seeking to avoid broad and seemingly irrelevant Requests for Information by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”).  While an employer’s response to Requests for Information is usually an avenue to support its defenses, in the rare instance of overreaching or…
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Fifth Circuit Addresses The Trigger For Lien Filings

In Golden Nugget Lake Charles, LLC v. W.G. Yates & Sons Constr. Co., No. 16-30496, 2017 WL 892407 (5th Cir. Mar. 6, 2017), the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals determined the 60-day period for general contractors to file a lien against a project owner’s property under Louisiana Private Works Act § 9:4822(B) does not begin…
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Texas’s Certificate Of Merit Statute Requires Certifying Expert To Demonstrate Knowledge Of The Defendant Design Professional’s Area Of Practice

In Levinson Alcoser Associates, L.P. v. El Pistolón II, LTD., No. 15-0232, 2017 WL 727269 (Tex. Feb. 24, 2017), the Supreme Court of Texas held Texas’s recently amended Certificate of Merit statute requires a plaintiff to accompany his complaint not only with a sworn Certificate of Merit from an expert stating the claim has merit,…
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Pollution Exclusion Precludes Coverage For Carbon Monoxide Damages

Last week, the District of Oregon became the latest court to rule on the pollution exclusion that appears in almost every general liability policy. The court in Colony Insurance Company v. Victory Construction LLC, 2017 WL 960024 (D. Or. Mar. 9, 2017), concluded Colony had no duty to defend or indemnify its insureds for two…
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Alabama Supreme Court Affirms Employers Right To Claim Immunity From Tort Claims For Employees Injured On The Job Who Are Obtained Through Staffing Agencies

In Ex parte Tenax Corp., the Alabama Supreme Court reaffirmed that the exclusive-remedy provisions of the Alabama Workers’ Compensation Act, § 25–5–1 et seq., Ala. Code 1975 can provide immunity from tort claims filed by workers’ provided to an employer through a staffing agency. In July 2014, John Dees submitted an application with Onin Staffing,…
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Florida Appeals Court Holds Contractor Not Liable For Playground Defects After City Failed To Give Contractor Notice And Opportunity To Cure Defects

In Magnum Construction Management Corp. v. City of Miami Beach, No. 3D15-2239, 2016 WL 7232268 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. Dec. 14, 2016), the Third District Court of Appeal of Florida found the City of Miami Beach was precluded from recovering damages for construction defects because it failed to provide Magnum Construction Management Corporation (“MCM”) with…
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The Eeoc Under A Trump Administration

President Donald Trump appointed Victoria Lipnic (“Ms. Lipnic”) as the new Chairwoman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”).   Ms. Lipnic is not new to the EEOC.  She has been an EEOC Commissioner since 2010 and was a President Obama appointee.  She has assured the employment community that she will not undo the EEOC’s “pro-employee”…
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