Publications Archive

After jamming the courthouse system with thousands of lawsuits, plaintiff attorneys are out of time to get their claims filed before Florida's new tort reform legislation is signed into law by Governor De Santis. After its signing, HB 837 will make it more difficult for Floridians to file lawsuits. In anticipation of this changing climate, it is estimated that Florida plaintiff firms have filed hundreds of lawsuits in anticipation of the bill's signage last week. The bill calls for wide-ranging tort reform and the new revisions in the area of civil litigation arena are significant. Many plaintiff firms are unhappy with the changes and some have even publicly stated that they plan to make the litigation process as difficult as possible for defense attorneys moving forward.

Many experts agree that the economy is on the precipice of a recession. The Federal Reserve increased interest rates seven times in 2022. Congress is once again tasked with raising the debt ceiling to push the national debt north of $31.4 trillion. According to Bloomberg, in 2022, consumer price inflation in the U.S. soared to a 40 year high of 9.1%. Historically speaking, real estate and construction litigation increases when the economy heads down. As homeowners lose their jobs and watch the adjustable rates on their mortgages climb—causing payments to skyrocket—they historically file more lawsuits against real estate, construction and design professionals. People who are upside down on their payments are desperate for a solution and often take aim at the defects in their homes when times were better. The economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased stress on the supply chain, in part caused by the war in Ukraine, have contributed to an economy plagued by inflation. Real estate professionals, the construction industry, and design professionals face particularly trying times sharing in the impact of financial uncertainty and responding an to increased litigation risk. Armed with historical data, the real estate and construction industries can take positive steps to prepare for a recession and minimize its impact on business growth. 

On January 30, 2023, at the eleventh hour, Governor Hochul vetoed legislation known as the Grieving Families Act. The defense bar has waited with some degree of anxiety to see if Bill S74A would pass her desk, and when it did not, a collective sigh of relief was heard among many. Despite heavy pressure from the plaintiff bar and others, Governor Hochul expressed concern about the potential negative impact of the bill on the economy as well as healthcare costs.

Florida House Bill 85 would decrease the time in which an action could be brought by a homeowner for construction defects. Proponents of the bill say that reducing potential liability for insurance companies, builders and other construction professionals will ultimately drive down costs and provide more affordable housing options in the state. Opponents argue that if passed into law this legislation would significantly undercut homeowners rights and impair their ability to seek a remedy for latent defects that only appear years after building is complete. Similar bills proposed during the 2022 legislative session inspired much debate, but did not pass.

Contractors in the State of Washington have been watching closely a case involving prelien notice by subcontractors. On December 6, 2022, the Washington Court of Appeals, Division Two addressed the issue in the decision of Velazquez Framing LLC v. Cascadia Homes, Inc., (2022) Case No. 56513-7-II. In this matter, a second-tier subcontractor’s failure to provide prelien notice to the general contractor prevented enforcement of its lien. The court held that allowing an unknown subcontractor to file a lien against a general contractor's property when the general contractor was not aware of the second-tier subcontractor’s hiring or participation in the project is against legislative policy to protect both laborers and owners.

Beginning on January 1, 2023, California will go one step further in combating the pervasive problem of sex trafficking in hotels and motels by imposing liability on owners for failing to identify and report sex trafficking activity when supervisors knew or should have known it was occurring on their property. As a result, hotel owners and operators should work to ensure staff receive proper training and set clear policies and procedures for employees to report activity.

Insurance industry professionals should take notice of a recent bill passed by the California legislature that will impact time-limited insurance settlements moving forward. On September 28, 2022, SB 1155 was signed into law by Governor Newsom. This bill adds Chapter 3.2 entitled "Time-Limited Demands" to the California Code of Civil Procedure (sections 999-999.5).

Any legal practitioner in California and beyond can attest to the court reporter shortage. Even before the onset of the pandemic, the court reporting industry was experiencing an increasing shortfall of court reporters available compared to the number of courtrooms and depositions needing the services of one.

In a highly anticipated decision, the Court of Appeal clarified an issue on agency which is important to hospitals in California that host doctors working as independent contractors. In the Franklin v. Santa Barbara Cottage Hosp., 2d Civil B311482 (Cal. Ct. App. Aug. 8, 2022) decision, the court clarified that a hospital cannot be held liable for the acts of an independent contractor working at the hospital. Key documentation was pivotal in this decision, as the patient had executed paperwork formally recognizing the independent relationship. In addition, the hospital did not retain any ability to control how the physician chose to treat his patients, or the manner in which he performed operations or other procedures. He was also not an ostensible agent as the patient, not the hospital, had selected the doctor in question for his surgery.

In a decision causing quite a stir among medical professionals, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided to change a twenty-year-old rule regarding venue for medical malpractice actions. On August 25, 2022, the Court adopted amendments to Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure 1006, 2130, 2156, and 2179, which govern venue in medical malpractice actions. Prior to this decision, medical malpractice cases could only be brought in the county where the medical care or treatment occurred.

In Ryck v. Superior Court of San Francisco County (2022) 81 Cal.App.5th 824, the California Court of Appeal held that the San Francisco Superior Court abused its discretion when it denied a motion to transfer venue from San Francisco to San Diego, where the motor vehicle accident at issue in the case occurred. Although most witnesses were located in California, the trial court relied on the fact the Legislature statutorily provided for remote testimony through July 1, 2023 as the primary basis for maintaining the case in San Francisco. In a published decision, the Court of Appeal reversed, ruling that the remote testimony rules may not be used as a basis to maintain a venue that does not further the interests of justice, which is the key consideration in change of venue motions.

After decades of debate, the reform of medical malpractice claims in California is finally coming to fruition. Legislators and interested parties on both sides of the MICRA debate have reached a compromise and agreed to a deal that will avert a planned ballot measure in the upcoming election. On May 23, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed the measure into law. Practitioners are wise to be reminded that this law goes into effect for cases filed next year. This is notable because plaintiff lawyers will be holding off filing their cases if possible so as not to blow the statute of repose. Brace yourself for a slew of new filings in 2023.

A “Friends” reunion; a “Sopranos” prequel movie; Britney Spears—pop culture from the early 2000s has made a comeback. Unfortunately something far less enjoyable from that era may also be finding its way back into our lives: mold litigation. We see multiple signs of a mold sequel and offer advice on how to avoid becoming a star of this show

WSHB Partner Constance Endelicato was quoted in the June 8, 2020 Skilled Nursing News article, "Nursing Homes Face Fines, Lawsuits Unless They Test for Covid-19 — But Access Often Out of Their Hands"

In this article, Ms. Endelicato wrote: 

“Testing capability is riddled with a number of factors that often are out of the hands of the nursing facility,” Constance Endelicato, a partner at the law firm Wood, Smith Henning & Berman who represents health care providers that include SNFs, wrote to Skilled Nursing News in an e-mail on June 3. “The facilities face the daunting task of attempting to abide by the governing recommendations, keeping in mind that with the exception of New York, recommendations will not necessarily define the standard of care under the pandemic crisis. We need to remember that the entire medical community was not prepared for this unknown and eerily unpredictable virus.”

WSHB Partner Constance Endelicato was quoted in the May 4, 2020 Insurance Journal article, "Nursing Home Insurance Market In Need of Care."

In the article, Ms. Endelicato described the COVID-19 exposures as “endless,” and said the facilities’ vulnerability to exposure has been “riddled with various complicating factors.”

“The lack of testing capability, the delayed symptoms, the ongoing admission of new residents, and the residents’ fundamental rights to have family and friends as visitors, may also play a role in exposure as these factors are thought to be ways in which the virus can spread,” said Ms. Endelicato.

In September 2018, we assessed the impact of the headline-grabbing $289 million verdict delivered by a San Francisco jury in DeWayne Johnson v. Monsanto Company. Johnson, a former school groundskeeper, alleged that his occupational use of the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup caused him to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We predicted that the verdict would lead to more glyphosate lawsuits and an increased focus on toxic torts, but concluded that this result would not make glyphosates the next asbestos.

As expected, the Johnson verdict was reduced to $78 million by a trial court and is now on appeal. But in the meantime, Monsanto, a unit of Bayer AG, was hit first with an $80 million judgment in federal court in the Northern District of California in Edwin Hardeman v. Monsanto Company, and then, more recently, with an eye-popping $2 billion verdict from the Alameda County Superior Court in Alva and Alberta Pilliod v. Monsanto Company. So the $2 billion question is, what does this mean for the future of glyphosate litigation and toxic torts in general?

Technological advancements in medical uses of robots, drones, and 3D printing continue at an impressive pace. Devices leveraging these advancements will enter mainstream medicine over the next five years, by some estimates.

The increasing use of advanced medical devices will reduce the need for certain staff, and will likely decrease available jobs for health care providers. The advent of new technology also poses new liability concerns due to a shift in the delivery of care.

To utilize this technology effectively, mitigate risk, and reduce job security fears, it is important to understand both the benefits of these advancements and the liabilities associated with their use, based upon current evidence.

Employers rely on bullies. Bullies push innovation, motivate co-workers and generate business. However, bullying in the workplace creates risks, and employers are facing new liabilities for failing to address bullying.

Bullying is prevalent and comes from all directions. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, an estimated 27% of Americans report experiencing abusive conduct at work, and 72% report being aware of workplace bullying. Similarly, a survey commissioned by CareerBuilder of full-time employed private sector employees indicated that 28% of employees reported having experienced or were currently experiencing bullying in the workplace.