COVID-19 is stunning in its impact on the complexity of our daily lives. For the past eighteen months, entire societal systems have been upended. As some commentators have put it, we have advanced a decade in a matter of months in terms of how we live, work, and interact with each other. Understandably, the pandemic has […]
Nearly all law firms offer a “free consultation.” An initial consultation without cost is like a free estimate to fix a household problem. While legal issues are considerably more complex than common household fixes, treating a “free consultation” like a “free estimate” may be useful. Just as with a common household problem, when it comes […]
With such intense focus on a single communicable illness, it is easy to forget that we, as human beings, suffer from other illnesses. Some medical journals are concerned that rates of serious medical conditions may rise as many would-be patients did not seek preventative care during much of 2020. And the trend continues.(https://healthcostinstitute.org/hcci-research/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-the-use-of-preventive-health-care.) “Work from […]
The year 2020 will be remembered as a time when working from home became the norm for many in the United States. Some employers have notified the workforce they will not return to their offices until the summer of 2021. Well, unsurprisingly, disability claims examiners are working from home, too. Many long-term disability claimants may […]
In Thole v. U.S. Bank N.A., No. 17-1712, 2020 U.S. LEXIS 3030 (June 1, 2020), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that defined pension plan participants lacked constitutional standing to sue over a $750 million loss to their plan because they had not yet missed a benefit payment. Justice Kavanaugh, writing for the majority, brought […]
One of the remarkable aspects of the current health crisis for many Americans is that they are realizing – perhaps for the first time – just how important work is in their lives. American society values work. Often, our very sense of identity is based on what we do to make a living. Think of […]
On February 26, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its unanimous decision in Intel Corporation Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma, Case No. 18-1116. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/19pdf/18-1116_h3cj.pdf. The decision resolves a split in the Circuits concerning the appropriate date by which to measure the shortened statute of limitations for breach of fiduciary duty claims. The triggering event for the […]
Most are familiar with the famous sketch of the simultaneous-silhouette of the older and younger woman appearing within the same image. Both women can be seen within the same drawing. Depending on the viewer’s perspective, the image appears to be of one of two different people. While viewing the image, the mind can move back […]
For those who have successfully fought to have a disability claim approved, they want it to stay that way. When the letter arrives from an insurance company seeking an update in status, most claimants begin to worry – and rightly so. As the Western District of Michigan federal court wisely observed fifteen years ago: The […]