On Friday, March 11, 2022 a jury in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, PA rendered a verdict in the case of Michael Fraser vs. Robert and Laura O’Black. This verdict, the largest in Westmoreland County history, was for $19 Million Dollars. The plaintiff, Michael Fraser, a 21 year old young man, was attending a holiday party at the O’Black residence on July 6, 2013. According to […]
Recently, in a 6-1 decision, the Florida Supreme Court amended Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.130 to authorize interlocutory appeals of nonfinal orders granting or denying motions for leave to assert claims for punitive damages. Under Florida law, plaintiffs may not allege punitive damages without leave of court, and the granting or denying of a motion for leave to assert punitive damages has a […]
On January 18, 2022, Governor Phil Murphy enacted the “New Jersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act.” Pursuant to the Act, a person injured in a motor vehicle accident and entitled to uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage can sue his/her insurance company for “an unreasonable delay or unreasonable denial of a claim for payment of benefits under an insurance policy…” or violation of the New Jersey […]
Maryland Managing Partner George Bogris prevailed on a Motion for Summary Judgment based on spoliation of evidence in a multi-party lawsuit in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County in a case involving a fire at a local eatery. Bogris represented the fire suppression contractor in the case which also included the hood cleaner as a co-defendant. Both defendants filed Summary Judgment motions claiming that […]
About the Firm | 13 Jan 2022 | by Defense Counsel
New Year, New MSZL&M Calendar. To celebrate the new year, MSZL&M attorneys Larry Sarowitz and Alex Krasnitsky have created a 2022 MSZL&M photo Calendar. Larry and Alex have been making a yearly calendar of their photos for more than five years, and nothing makes them happier than to share it with their friends and colleagues. If you would like a copy, please email Kate […]
On March 18, MSZL&M closed our offices for two weeks to flatten the curve. Almost two years later, we have been reminded that necessity is the mother of invention and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Having a cloud based IT system allowed us to seamlessly transition to working from home without pause. However, we realized there were aspects of […]
On June 15, 2020, the United States Supreme Court held in Bostock v. Clayton County, 590 U.S. ___ (2020), that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bars employment discrimination “because of [an employee’s] race, color, religion, sex, or national origin,” includes discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Significantly, in a 6-3 decision, the Bostock Court ruled that, when an […]
About the Firm | 23 Nov 2021 | by Defense Counsel
Sandra Carson, Sr. Litigation Counsel in MSZL&M’s Maryland office, recently obtained a defense verdict in favor of our client, a large national retailer, after a 4-day jury trial in the Circuit Court for Carroll County. Plaintiff, who was seeking over $200,000 in damages plus attorney’s fees, claimed that our client and co-defendant, an independent contractor of our client, improperly installed a new oil boiler […]
South Florida Partner, Randy J. Lipkien, obtained summary judgment in a premises liability claim against our client, a construction contractor. Plaintiff claimed she sustained serious injuries tripping over a curb leading into her place of employment. Plaintiff claimed the curb was constructed “too high” causing her to get her foot caught on it and fall to the ground. Our client maintained that the curb […]
Florida attorney Samantha S. Loveland, obtained summary judgment in a premises liability claim against our client, a warehouse restaurant supplier. Plaintiff claimed she sustained serious injuries tripping over a damaged parking bumper while loading items she bought at the store into her car. Plaintiff claimed our client failed to warn her of dangerous conditions and failed to keep the premises in a reasonably safe […]