A tool that every policyholder attorney should use is the 30(b)(6) deposition. This is when the policyholder attorney requests the Defendant Insurance Carrier to designate “one or more officers, directors, or managing agents, or designate other persons who consent to testify on its behalf.”1 The testimony of the designee is binding upon the company, regardless of the designee’s personal knowledge of the subject matter.
Continue Reading The Importance of a Rule 30(b)(6) Deposition
Deposition
Do I Have to Pay My Adversary’s Experts to Depose Them?
By Chip Merlin on
Posted in Insurance
A recent decision by a Massachusetts District Court addressed an important issue: When is a witness not entitled to expert fees at deposition?1
…
Continue Reading Do I Have to Pay My Adversary’s Experts to Depose Them?
Some “Dos and Don’ts” in Adjusting Claims
By Larry Bache on
Posted in Insurance
As an attorney, I love information, and I enjoy getting my hands on an adjuster’s claim notes; I am privy to the initial reserve, internal thoughts, and other pertinent information that reveals the carrier’s position on my client’s file. On the contrary, I am often sitting in a deposition of a public adjuster where their claim notes or file embarrass or reveal an opinion that a jury may view much differently than intended.…
California’s Codified Approach to the Examination Under Oath
By Merlin Law Group on
Posted in California, Insurance
California has had a civil code since January 1, 2002 regarding Examinations Under Oath. The Civil Code Section is California Insurance Code Section 2071.1 entitled, Examination of insured; rights of insured; study; survey; report.…
Continue Reading California’s Codified Approach to the Examination Under Oath
Depositions versus Examinations Under Oath
By Merlin Law Group on
A comment to my earlier post, The Importance of Examinations Under Oath, asked me to differentiate between a deposition and an examination under oath. A deposition is a discovery tool used during litigation to take the sworn testimony of a witness. In Colorado, depositions are governed by Colorado Rule of Civil Procedure 30 that states that a party to a lawsuit may take the testimony of any person, including a party, by deposition upon oral examination without leave of court except and that party’s attendance at the deposition may be compelled by subpoena as provided in Colorado Rule of Civil Procedure 45. A party may also serve upon the person to be deposed a subpoena duces tecum that designates materials to be produced at the deposition. In an Examination Under Oath, sworn testimony is also taken, but only of the policyholders or people over whom the policyholders exert control.…
Deposing Insurer CEOs: Dynamite Discovery Decisions, Part 13
By Merlin Law Group on
Posted in Insurance
In Paskoff v. Avatar Property & Casualty Insurance Company,1 a matter handled by my Merlin Law Group colleague, Shaun Marker, Avatar’s CEO visited the insured property and conversed with Ms. Paskoff about her loss. In subsequent litigation, Mr. Marker naturally wished to depose Avatar’s CEO regarding the CEO’s property visit and interactions with Ms. Paskoff. Mr. Marker filed a motion to compel the deposition of the CEO.
…
Continue Reading Deposing Insurer CEOs: Dynamite Discovery Decisions, Part 13
Gathering Advertisements Could Prove Very Beneficial in Agent Negligence Cases
Posted on
Posted in Insurance
I spent yesterday in beautiful Des Moines, Iowa, watching and aiding Chip Merlin in a deposition of an insurance agent in an agent negligence case. On a cloudless day that had highs in the low 70’s, I was stuck in a third floor office suite for a nine or ten hour deposition marathon. But the lesson I learned more than made up for missing out on the great weather. Chip has mentioned before that establishing duty is the key to agent negligence cases, and he showed that gathering and using advertisements distributed by an agent or agency can go a long way to do just that.…
Continue Reading Gathering Advertisements Could Prove Very Beneficial in Agent Negligence Cases
TWIA Texas Slab Depositions Get Started Today
By Chip Merlin on
Today’s deposition of Professor William Spelman starts a series of depositions in the Texas slab cases involving TWIA. Several weeks ago, policyholder attorneys, including myself, met in Galveston to organize a series of depositions and decide upon the work assignments for these cases. This will be the first of many depositions and discovery attempts by policyholder attorneys to gain additional recovery for those individuals who suffered the most devastation caused by Hurricane Ike.…
Continue Reading TWIA Texas Slab Depositions Get Started Today
Depositions of TWIA’s Top Three Managers Scheduled to Last Weeks!
By Javier Delgado on
In the last blog I posted regarding our litigation against Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) and the exchange of documents, Current Status of TWIA Discovery for Hurricane Ike Claims in Galveston County, I briefly explained the discovery process in a first party litigation case….
Continue Reading Depositions of TWIA’s Top Three Managers Scheduled to Last Weeks!
John Pappas Explains the Importance of Preparation in Insurance Coverage Cases
By Chip Merlin on
Posted in Insurance
I have known John Pappas since 1980. We were classmates in law school. I think I helped get him the job at the 100-plus person insurance defense law firm that now bears his name. Because we have been bitter adversaries on a number of cases, most people find it surprising that he was the best man at my marriage.…
Continue Reading John Pappas Explains the Importance of Preparation in Insurance Coverage Cases