Foreign Parent Company Not Subject to Personal Jurisdiction Based Solely on Actions of Subsidiary, and Expert Testimony Properly Excluded as Unreliable in Products-Liability Case
Posted on Oct 5, 2022 in Consumer Protection, Jurisdiction | Comments Off on Foreign Parent Company Not Subject to Personal Jurisdiction Based Solely on Actions of Subsidiary, and Expert Testimony Properly Excluded as Unreliable in Products-Liability Case
In the absence of facts supporting piercing the corporate veil or rendering affiliated companies alter egos, the actions of a subsidiary alone cannot subject a foreign parent company to personal jurisdiction in Florida, the Eleventh Circuit recently confirmed. The court’s decision in Knepfle v. J-Tech Corp., 2022 U.S. App. LEXIS 25781 (11th Cir. Sept. 14, 2022), also reviewed the...
No “Follow-the-Fortunes” Doctrine Where a Reinsurance Agreement’s Terms Are Plainly Inconsistent with the Doctrine
Posted on Aug 20, 2022 in Insurance | Comments Off on No “Follow-the-Fortunes” Doctrine Where a Reinsurance Agreement’s Terms Are Plainly Inconsistent with the Doctrine
The Eleventh Circuit in Public Risk Management of Florida v. Munich Reinsurance America, Inc., 38 F.4th 1298 (11th Cir. June 29, 2022), held that courts cannot infer application of the “follow-the fortunes” doctrine where a reinsurance agreement’s plain and unambiguous language is inconsistent with the doctrine. Public Risk Management of Florida (“PRM”), a self-insured...
Interlocutory Appeal Properly Taken from Declaratory Judgment on Insurer’s Duty to Defend; Ambiguous Exclusion Construed in Favor of Coverage
Posted on Mar 9, 2022 in Insurance | Comments Off on Interlocutory Appeal Properly Taken from Declaratory Judgment on Insurer’s Duty to Defend; Ambiguous Exclusion Construed in Favor of Coverage
When a liability insurer seeks a declaratory judgment on whether it has a duty to defend and indemnify an insured, and the district court enters an order finding a duty to defend but putting off a decision on the duty to indemnify, is that nonfinal order subject to interlocutory appeal? In James River Insurance Co. v. Ultratec Special Effects Inc., 22 F.4th 1246 (11th Cir. Jan. 13,...
Settlement Release Negotiations and Actions of Third-Party Claimants Are Both Relevant in Bad Faith Actions
Posted on Oct 12, 2021 in Insurance | Comments Off on Settlement Release Negotiations and Actions of Third-Party Claimants Are Both Relevant in Bad Faith Actions
In Pelaez v. Government Employees Insurance Co., 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 28312 (11th Cir. Sept. 20, 2021), the Eleventh Circuit upheld summary judgment for GEICO in a Florida bad faith case. Merely offering an overbroad release to a third-party claimant was insufficient to establish bad faith in the totality of the circumstances, which included GEICO’s repeated invitations to the...
“European Wax Center” Trademark Dispute Clarifies “Confusingly Similar” Test Under the ACPA
Posted on Aug 25, 2021 in Intellectual Property | Comments Off on “European Wax Center” Trademark Dispute Clarifies “Confusingly Similar” Test Under the ACPA
A divided Eleventh Circuit panel affirmed a district court’s order granting summary judgment in favor of the defendant in a trademark dispute involving the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (“ACPA”), Boigris v. EWC P&T, LLC, 2021 U.S. App. LEXIS 23399 (11th Cir. Aug. 6, 2021). The case further clarifies the test for whether marks are “confusingly similar” under the ACPA,...