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Tennessee Supreme Court Holds that Rental Cars are Uninsured Motor Vehicles under UM Policy
The Tennessee Supreme Court recently held that rental cars are uninsured vehicles in the context of uninsured motorist (UM) insurance coverage, despite seemingly clear policy language. In
Martin v. Powers
, the defendant rented a car and drove it to a bar. After becoming intoxicated, the bar owner asked him to leave and followed him out of the bar. The defendant then drove the rental car into his knee. The defendant's primary auto insurance policy included UM/UIM coverage, but he did not purchase the optional liability coverage from the rental car company. His insurer denied coverage--and prevailed in a separate declaratory judgment action--because his act of driving into the bar owner's knee was intentional.
Read more about the primary impact of this case on insurers' UM policies here.
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EEOC v. St. Vincent Health Center, Flu Vaccination Policy Challenged as Religious Discrimination
On September 23, 2016, the EEOC filed suit in the Pennsylvania Federal Court against St. Vincent Health Center, taking the position its mandatory flu vaccination policy violates Title VII's religious discrimination prohibition. This is the most recent EEOC challenge of flu inoculation policies, having already filed suits against hospitals in two other states.
Employment attorney J. Steven Collins analyzes this case and sheds light on what employers need to know when determining whether a policy violates Title VII. Read more here.
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Accelerent Nashville Accepts Spicer Rudstrom as Newest Partner
Accelerent Nashville, an exclusive organization with a proprietary business development system, has announced Spicer Rudstrom PLLC as its newest partner. The law firm becomes the organization's 49th partner.
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SR Welcomes Two New Attorneys
Whitney joins our Little Rock office, where she focuses on workers' compensation and personal injury.
Jacob joins our Memphis office, where he focuses on insurance defense, premises liability, products liability and workers' compensation.
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Keep Up with Workers' Compensation Changes
In an effort help our clients stay informed on legal issues affecting their business, Spicer Rudstrom's attorneys strive to make sense of the complex challenges and recent legal developments in the ever-changing world of workers' compensation law. Attorneys
Courtney S. Paterson and
Jared S. Renfroe
summarize the cases handed down in the Tennessee Workers' Compensation Appeals Board each week, providing insight on the recent legislation as a resource to employers across industries, as well as insurance providers and carriers.
If you are interested in keeping up with these decisions, visit our website's News
section for more!
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Spicer Rudstrom Joins Belmont University College of Law for International Law Panel Discussion
Spicer Rudstrom joined
Belmont University College of Law for a panel discussion on the topic Law as Impediment--or Facilitator--to International Business. The free event was open to lawyers, business people, faculty and law students. Panelists included:
- Prof. Dr. Eckart Brodermann, managing partner, Brodermann Jahn
- A.J. Kazimi, CEO, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals
- Douglas P. Anderson, associate general counsel, Louisiana-Pacific Corporation
- Deborah Farringer, assistant professor of law, Belmont University College of Law
- Richard E. Smith, partner, Christian & Small
Mike Vetter Moderated Panel Discussion on the Effect of Millennial Jurors on Litigation
Spicer Rudstrom's
Michael J. Vetter, Sr. recently co-moderated a panel discussion for
Primerus. "New Jurors on the Scene: Millennial Jurors and Their Effect on Litigation" focused on implications for jury selection, how to identify favorable and unfavorable jurors and the kinds of questions to ask in voir dire to make that distinction. Special focus was given to the best way to communicate with millennial jurors once litigation has begun.
Dr. Jill Huntley, director with Dispute Dynamics and head of that company's Philadelphia office, and
Dr. Rick Fuentes, founding partner of R&D Strategic Solutions, LLC served as the panelists. Joining Mike as co-moderator was James Carlson from Christian & Small.
SR Partnered with Travelers Insurance for United Way Golf Tournament
Pictured: Marc Dedman, Thomas Hickey, Christine Edwards (senior counsel of Travelers' Claim Legal Auto Group) and Chris Myatt
In September, Spicer Rudstrom was proud to partner with longstanding client, Travelers Insurance, for a golf tournament benefiting United Way. Three attorneys
Marc Dedman Co-Moderated Discussion on the Merger of Law and Public Relations at Primerus Global Conference
Marc Dedman
served as co-moderator of a panel discussion at the Primerus Global Conference in October. Panelists discussed the merger of law and public relations and what that means in regard to the media, the public and the client in high-profile matters. How legal rules can impact crisis management was also addressed.
Panelists included:
- Bob Weiss, founder, Alyn-Weiss & Associates
- Mark Corallo, founder, Corallo Media Strategies
- Randy Bennett, general counsel, Technicolor
- Gabriel Lansky, partner, Lansky Ganzger + Partner
- Robert Amsterdam, partner, Amsterdam & Partners LLP
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Please join us in congratulating these attorneys for a job well done! |
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