Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. would like to thank our clients and local counsel for a wonderful year and wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a blessed Holiday Season. Regardless of what Christmas means to you, we hope your Christmas is full of holiday cheer shared with family and friends. For us…
Florida’s tug-of-war between its courts and its legislature regarding the appropriate standard for a judge to use to assess the admissibility of an expert’s opinion testimony has finally been settled. On October 14, 2018, the Florida Supreme Court announced that the Frye standard is the governing standard when determining the admissibility of expert testimony. This…
The Connecticut Supreme Court just made it easier for a landlord’s property insurer to subrogate against a tenant whose negligence causes damage to the landlord’s building. For years, Connecticut had followed the so-called “Sutton Rule” which holds that tenants are considered co-insureds under a landlord’s fire insurance policy and may not be sued by the…
The Illinois Supreme Court has somewhat clarified an injured employee’s rights to pursue a third-party case by intervening into a third-party subrogation suit filed by the workers’ compensation carrier, even after the personal injury Statute of Limitations (“SOL”) runs. In A & R Janitorial v. Pepper Construction Company, 2018 WL 123220 (Ill. 2018), an employee…
A recent New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division decision has ostensibly settled a long-standing subrogation question with regard to whether a worker’s compensation carrier is entitled to subrogation and/or reimbursement from a third-party tortfeasor who is covered by New Jersey no-fault insurance, even though the employee does not otherwise meet the verbal threshold allowing him…
On Friday, November 30th, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Alaska, approximately 10 miles northeast of Anchorage. Thankfully, the damage appears to be limited mainly to property loss, and a lot of that can be attributed to Alaska’s stringent building codes and standards. Alaska has more earthquakes than any other region of North America and is…
A.O. Smith Corporation, a manufacturer of water heaters located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, recently announced a recall of more than 616,000 water heaters that are being blamed on causing numerous house fires. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPCS), the gas burner (flame arrestor) screen on several models develop a tear, resulting in excessive…
Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. (“MWL”) is pleased to announce that Katherine Sandoval has joined our insurance litigation team as an associate attorney in our California office. Katherine’s litigation experience adds to a wealth of experience at MWL’s Orange office, which is already teeming with talent and expertise. Katherine received her undergraduate degree from Occidental…
Subrogation professionals are duty-bound to maximize a workers’ compensation subrogation recovery for a workers’ compensation carrier and its insured employer, who is eager to maintain a favorable experience rating. They dream about claims in which they demand 100% of a policy limits third-party recovery, not because they wish the employee ill-will, but because they have…
Fire-ravaged California is no stranger to the devastating loss of life and property at the hands of wildfires. This summer, a series of large wildfires erupted across California, mostly in the northern part of the state, including the destructive Carr Fire and the Mendocino Complex Fire. On August 4, 2018, a national disaster was declared.…