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WV Supreme Court Invokes Learned Intermediary Doctrine Image

WV Supreme Court Invokes Learned Intermediary Doctrine

Nancy Sher Cohen & Rene I. Siemens

Last year, pharmaceutical companies reportedly spent $4.5 billion on direct advertising to consumers, or about 400 times more than they spent 20 years ago. Drug company spending on advertising to consumers is increasing twice as fast as spending on promotions to physicians or on the research and development of new drugs. Given this exponential growth in direct-to-consumer advertising, it is hardly surprising that prescription drug makers' traditional immunity from consumer 'failure-to-warn' claims has increasingly come under assault.

Features

Electronic Fetal Monitoring on Trial Image

Electronic Fetal Monitoring on Trial

Christopher D. Bernard

When an infant is born hypoxic, acidotic and neurologically depressed and goes on to develop permanent brain damage, questions are raised as to when the injury occurred, why it occurred and whether it could have been prevented through the exercise of reasonable care. The answers to those questions will determine whether there is a valid basis for pursuing a claim of medical malpractice.

Features

Collecting Support from a Payor Who Has Filed Under Chapter 11 Image

Collecting Support from a Payor Who Has Filed Under Chapter 11

Elliot Wiener & Peter Harutunian

Matrimonial attorneys may believe that the Bankruptcy Code protects support creditors, insuring that they will be able to collect both ongoing support and support arrears. While it may be true that the support obligations cannot be discharged, during the pendency of a Chapter 11 case ' and that could be for years ' collection of support is increasingly a matter of federal law to be adjudicated by a federal court that is concerned with balancing the claims of the support creditor against the claims of all the other creditors.

Features

The Obviousness of Patent Alternatives Image

The Obviousness of Patent Alternatives

Thomas J. Colson

This article explores the alternatives to patenting.

Features

Master Franchisee Buyouts Become More Popular Internationally Image

Master Franchisee Buyouts Become More Popular Internationally

Mark Abell & Victoria Hobbs

Franchise attorneys are quite familiar with management buyouts ('MBOs') and have perhaps assisted or consulted in such transactions. Now comes along a new phenomenon in international franchising: master franchisee buyouts ('MFBOs'). An introduction to MFBOs follows, using examples of two recent transactions.

Features

Deferred Prosecution Agreements and Privileged Documents Image

Deferred Prosecution Agreements and Privileged Documents

Jacqueline C. Wolff & Ethan I. Jacobs

XYZ Inc. settles a federal criminal investigation by signing a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA). Now its attorneys think the company and its privileged documents are safe so long as XYZ stays out of trouble. But have they closed the barn door after the horse has run away? A little-noticed holding by Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in the KPMG tax shelter case suggests that a DPA may open privileged documents to defendants in criminal trials and even to civil litigants.

Features

Perfecting Lease Payment Streams Image

Perfecting Lease Payment Streams

Alan M. Christenfeld, Shephard W. Melzer & Debra Goldberg

This article reviews the <i>In re Commercial Money Center</i> case and its practical implications, provides an overview of some proposed amendments to the UCC with respect to such problems, and discusses suggestions of how to protect clients in the post-<i>CMC</i> environment.

Features

What Constitutes a Health Care Business Under 11 U.S.C. ' 333? Image

What Constitutes a Health Care Business Under 11 U.S.C. ' 333?

Ted A. Berkowitz & Jason W. Trigger

The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 ('BAPCPA') was initially enacted to reform the Bankruptcy Code as it relates to health care businesses and to protect the ongoing quality of patient care being provided by such health care establishments during a bankruptcy proceeding. Specifically, this legislation added Section 333 to the United States Code Title 11, which requires the appointment of a patient care ombudsman ('PCO') in Chapters 7, 9 or 11 reorganization cases where the debtor is a 'health care business,' as defined by the Code, unless the court finds the appointment is not necessary to protect the health and well-being of the business' patients.

Features

Foreclosure and Receivers in the Current Liquidity Crisis Image

Foreclosure and Receivers in the Current Liquidity Crisis

Keith Miles Aurzada & Gwendolyn J. Godfrey

Given the instability in the current real estate market and the significant rise in the number of borrowers defaulting on their mortgages, the topic of foreclosures, regardless of the type, will be the subject of many future discussions and articles. Just a quick review of popular business periodicals reveals the many forces working together to both increase the number of foreclosures and decrease property values. In this climate, many lenders will be assessing their options when it comes to foreclosing on delinquent borrowers.

Features

Avoiding Contract Mistakes Image

Avoiding Contract Mistakes

Ken Alexander

The author shares his top 10 measures for avoiding contract mistakes.

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