Raymond v. Idaho State Police, 451 P.3d 17 (Idaho 2019). “Spoliation” of evidence occurs when someone with an obligation to preserve evidence with regard to a legal claim neglects to do so or intentionally fails to do so. Such a failure to preserve evidence can take place by destruction of the evidence, damage to the…
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For the 7th year, MWL’s Hartford office donated toys to the Gingerbread House and Youth and Family Project Toy Drive, which benefits children of need in Washington and Waukesha counties. We believe every child should share in the magic of the holidays! Thank you to Lisa Peters and her team of volunteers who start early…
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Maryland Court Confuses Wisconsin Exclusive Remedy Rule For years now, lawyers, judges, and even courts in other states have been confused over the Exclusive Remedy Rule that exists here in Wisconsin. A clear example is the 1994 decision by the Maryland Supreme Court in Hastings v. Mechalske, Hastings v. Mechalske, 650 A.2d 274 (Md. 1994).…
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We are frequently asked by clients to file suit in a case where the statute of limitations expires in a matter of a day—even hours. In some cases, we are asked to file in order to toll an impending statute of limitations and give the client more time to negotiate a settlement or take other…
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During the brutal winter of 1620-21, Miles Standish, the English military officer hired by the Pilgrims as military advisor for Plymouth Colony and one of the Mayflower passengers, played a leading role in the administration and defense of the colony. His wife, Rose, suffered from sickness and fever throughout most of the winter, and when…
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On March 23, 2015, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed into law Senate Bill 411 which made PIP and UM/UIM subrogation much more intimidating, but perhaps only slightly more difficult. The new bill amended several Oregon statutes, doubled the PIP medical benefit period from one year to two years, and changed Oregon UM policies from a…
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Joella v. Cole, 2019 WL 5287987 (Pa. Super. 2019). The ability of a landlord’s property insurer to subrogate against a tenant for property damage caused by the negligence of the tenant depends on which state the loss occurs in and the nature and language of the lease involved. There are generally three different approaches: A…
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The 2019 National Association of Subrogation Professionals (NASP) Annual Conference will be held October 27 – 30 in Washington, D.C. Its lineup of speakers and topics is very good, as usual. MWL will have many experienced subrogation lawyers there who will be moderating, presenting, or speaking at the conference. Ryan Woody will be co-presenting a…
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James v. State Farm Mutual Auto. Ins. Co., 929 N.W.2d 541 (S.D. 2019). The origins of auto insurance can be traced all the way back to the ancient Chinese when investors took out insurance policies on cargo ships crossing the high seas. This later became known as marine insurance and is still a system used…
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For years, Alaska remained one of the last holdout states which had not provided any caselaw decisions to declare whether and what evidence of medical bill charges or payments could be introduced by the parties in a personal injury suit. In a personal injury case, was the “reasonable value” of medical bills incurred by the…
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