Newsletters

Governmental Immunity from Suit

If a party is injured by some act of a governmental unit, official, or agency, he may or may not be permitted to sue. The reason that he may be barred from suing is because of "sovereign immunity." Traditionally, this doctrine protected governmental units, officials, and agencies from liability based on their tortious acts unless they had consented to being sued. Now, this immunity has been waived in large part and only applies in certain circumstances.

Federal Tort Claims Act -- Notice of Claim

Under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), a person who plans to file a personal injury action against the federal government must present a written "notice of claim," or "administrative claim," to the government agency that is allegedly responsible for the injury. A notice of claim is a prerequisite to a personal injury action against the federal government. If no notice of claim has been given, a court will dismiss the action.

Scope of Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act

The Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act applies to any employer who employs workers for maritime work or in a maritime occupation, either full-time or part-time, on the navigable waters of the United States or in adjoining waterfront areas.

Negligent Misrepresentation

Society recognizes a standard of business ethics that demands that factual representations be made carefully and honestly. A "representation" may consist of words or conduct. If a person makes a misrepresentation to another in business, it may give rise to liability on his part, even if he did not know that he was making a misrepresentation.

Attorney Malpractice Liability to Non-Client

In the course of an attorney's representation of a client, he may commit legal malpractice with respect to his prosecution, defense, or appeal of the client's action or his preparation of transactional documents for the client. The attorney's actions may constitute legal malpractice if he fails to use the skill, prudence, and diligence that attorneys of ordinary skill and capacity would use in performing their legal tasks. In addition to being liable to the client, the attorney may also be liable to a non-client in certain circumstances.