Law Commons^™

Debunking The Standardized Nature Of Insurance Policies, Elizabeth Sousa

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

This article discredits the conventional view of insurance policies as standardized contracts that do not vary across insurance companies and policyholders. Contrary to this view, there are wide variations in policy language in both the admitted and non-admitted insurance markets. These deviations reduce the perceived benefit of insurance policies as standardized contracts intended to promote predictability and lower transaction costs for policyholders by focusing only on the most salient terms. Nowhere is this deviation more apparent than with Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies defendants are turning to in the current opioid litigation.

The opioid epidemic has been plaguing the United …

Carpooling Liability?: Applying Tort Law Principles To The Joint Emergence Of Self-Driving Automobiles And Transportation Network Companies, Jacob D. Walpert

Fordham Law Review

Self-driving automobiles have emerged as the future of vehicular travel, but this innovation is not developing in isolation. Simultaneously, the popularity of transportation network companies functioning as ride-hailing and ride-sharing services have altered traditional conceptions of personal transportation. Technology companies, conventional automakers, and start-up businesses each play significant roles in fundamentally transforming transportation methods. These transformations raise numerous liability questions. Specifically, the emergence of self-driving vehicles and transportation network companies create uncertainty for the application of tort law’s negligence standard. This Note addresses technological innovations in vehicular transportation and their accompanying legislative and regulatory developments. Then, this Note discusses the …

Response To Professor Paul Secunda's Comparatice Analysis Of The Treatment Of Employment Claims In Insolvency Proceedings And Guarantee Schemes In Oecd Countries, Israel Goldowitz

Fordham Urban Law Journal

No abstract provided.

With Liberty And Access For Some: The Aca’S Disconnect For Women’S Health, Nicole Huberfeld

Fordham Urban Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Healthy Reform, Healthy Cities: Using Law And Policy To Reduce Obesity Rates In Underserved Communities, Christine Fry, Sara Zimmerman, Manel Kappagoda

Fordham Urban Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Who’S Smiling Now?: Disparities In American Dental Health, Janet L. Dolgin

Fordham Urban Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Should Neither Wind Nor Rain Nor Hurricane Keep Victims From Recovery? Examining The Tort And Insurance Systems’ Ability To Compensate Hurricane Victims, Kathleen A. Zink

Fordham Law Review

Large-scale natural disasters, such as hurricanes, wreak tremendous havoc, causing billions of dollars in damages. Those who suffer serious damage may turn to their insurance providers or the tort system for compensation. But, both the tort and insurance systems present serious limitations to a hurricane victim’s recovery. This Note analyzes the goals and criticisms of these two systems to determine which compensates hurricane victims best. In light of its analysis, this Note ultimately concludes that neither system satisfactorily compensates victims. Yet, tort could play some role in hurricane-related damage. Tort law could effectively deter negligent behavior by imposing liability on …

Enforcing International Insurers’ Expectations: Can States Unilaterally Quash Commercial Arbitration Agreements Under The Mccarran-Ferguson Act?, Mary Pennisi

Fordham Journal of Corporate & Financial Law

This Note examines the split in federal circuit courts created by Safety National Casualty Corp. on whether the MFA reverse-preempts the New York Convention and allows states to quash arbitration agreements in international insurance contracts.

Some Preliminary Thoughts On The Deregulation Of Insurance To Advantage The Working Poor, Maria O'Brien Hylton

Fordham Urban Law Journal

The regulatory framework in which employee benefits products are marketed and consumed by individuals and groups seeking to reduce exposure to covered events which influences the way insurance products are developed. The paper examines the important role that various forms on insurance play in the total compensation of low wage employees, focusing in particular on disability and health insurance. In particular, the author seeks ways in which the applicable regulatory framework might be altered to improve access and coverage. The important aspect of state regulatory law is the growing tendency to impose mandates on insurers who wish to do business …

Fair Plans: History, Holtzman And The Arson-For-Profit Hazard, Joanne Dwyer

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Comment discusses the Fair Access to Insurance Requirements (FAIR) plans implemented in twenty-six states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico pursuant to the Urban Property Insurance Protection and Reinsurance act in an attempt to ameliorate urban deterioration by reducing unfair insurance pratices. These plans provided insurance to property owners denied insurancy in the voluntary market. The Comment outlines the history of FAIR plans, their federally mandated guidelines, and the state's implementation of such requrements, the Holtzman amendment of 1978 (requiring at least one-third of the voting members of the FAIR plan governing boards to be independent representatives of …

Insurance--Effective Termination--Temporary Contract Of Life Insurance Requires Both Notice And Refund Of Premium For Termination, Thomas F. Cassidy

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Plaintiff Dolores Smith appealed from a judgment in a favor of the Westland Life Insurance Company after a nonjury trial. Mrs. Smith, as the widow and administratrix of the estate of her husband, sought recovery of $10,000 under a temporary life insurance contract. Mr. Smith had paid the first month’s premium and received a conditional receipt, also known as a binder or a binding receipt, from a soliciting agent of Westland on April 8, 1963. However, due to the hazardous nature of Smith’s employment as a railroad laborer, Westland issued him a modified policy, with increased premiums, on April 24. …