News

At long last, New York’s “wrongful death” law may be changed to allow family members and loved ones of those killed by another person’s negligence to recover money damages for the grief and anguish of the survivors.  Both the New York Senate and Assembly have passed a bill known as the “Grieving Families Act”, and the legislation now awaits the signature of Governor Kathy Hochul to become law.  New York law has always limited recoverable damages in [...]

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 [...]

For some New Yorkers, the onset of summer weather means a return to favorite sporting activities, especially golf.  Under New York law, persons who participate in sports and recreational activities assume the risk of getting hurt while doing so.  But there is an exception to that rule which recently worked to the benefit of a golfer in Buffalo. In the case Krych v. Bredenberg, decided on May 3, 2019, the Appellate Division of New York Supreme Court, Fourth Department (based in [...]