News

The New York State Assembly today (June 1, 2023) gave its approval to a revised proposal to expand the scope of damages that can be recovered by spouses, children and family members of their loved ones killed as a result of another party’s negligence.  The measure that passed in the Assembly (the “Grieving Families Act”) permits a judge or jury deciding such “wrongful death” lawsuits to consider damages for the emotional anguish of the survivors.  The [...]

If every New Yorker wrote a list of their least favorite things, “phone calls from telemarketers” would no doubt be near the top of the list.  Now, there’s a better and faster way to end those annoying calls. Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation designed to limit unwanted telemarketing calls by giving consumers the option to be added to a company’s “Do Not Call” list at the very beginning of the phone call.  The new law took effect on March [...]

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signed legislation making New York the 25th state in the country to grant nurse practitioners (NP) full authority to practice medicine.  NPs are now able to evaluate, test, diagnose, and prescribe medications for patients without having to sign a contract with a “supervising physician”.  That requirement, which was waived by New York and several other states when the COVID-19 pandemic drastically changed accessibility to medical care, has [...]

During both criminal and civil jury trials in New York courtrooms, the presiding judge instructs jurors (usually multiple times a day) not to conduct any research about the case they’re hearing.  That’s because a jury is supposed to decide a case based only on the evidence they see and hear during trial, and the judge’s instructions about the law and how to apply it to the evidence.  But the message didn’t get through to a New Jersey man; at a cost he might not [...]

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed into law a bill that supporters say will make the Power of Attorney process more “user-friendly”.  A Power of Attorney is a legal document which appoints an Agent to act on behalf of the Principal, giving the Agent the authority to handle the Principal’s financial and legal affairs.  The changes in the law, which take effect on June 13, 2021, include a provision that makes a Power of Attorney valid even if it doesn’t [...]