Podcast - Part II: The Do’s and Don’ts of Demonstratives
Podcast - Part I - The Do’s and Don’ts of Demonstratives
Podcast - How Do You Define Success?
Podcast - Seek Out Feedback
Podcast - Part I: Being an Expert Is a Lonely Business
Podcast - Finding Common Ground
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 504: Listen and Learn -- Motions for Judgment as a Matter of Law and Motions for New Trial (Civ Pro)
Podcast - "Ready for Trial?"
Podcast - Every Case Is a New World
Podcast - The 3 Core Themes of Trial Law: Do the Right Thing
Podcast - How Did We Get Here?
Podcast - Parting Thoughts: Be a "Peddler of Common Sense"
Against All Odds- Part Four
Podcast - Expert Witnesses, Special Issues
Podcast - Direct Examination of Expert Witnesses
Podcast - Drowning in Complexity
Podcast: Part I - Reading the Jury
Podcast - How to Use Humor and Anger Effectively in the Courtroom
Preparing for Deposition Success
Podcast - Connecting Separate Pieces of Evidence Clearly, Persuasively
A Supreme Court decision in April made it easier for plaintiffs to keep ERISA prohibited transaction claims in play longer, and just days later a rare ERISA trial resulted in a huge win for a class of 401(k) plan...more
If you’re a 401(k) plan provider and think you can get away with charging sky-high fees while prioritizing your own bottom line, think again. A federal jury just reminded us all—fiduciary responsibility under ERISA isn’t just...more
I have previously noted certain provisions of a bill amending Nevada's business entity statutes, AB239. See Nevada Bill Would Impose A Duty That Directors Be Informed and Nevada Bill Would Expressly Allow Directors To...more
Lead writer for the Fiduciary Litigator blog, David F. Johnson, presented “Trust Modifications and Reformations in Texas” at UT Law CLE’s 21st Annual Changes and Trends Affecting Special Needs Trusts Conference. This...more
The Seventh Circuit recently analyzed when a party has a right to a jury trial for claims of aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duties arising out of a merger. The Court acknowledged that the Delaware-law claims at...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s denial of a jury trial, concluding it was harmless error because the defendant would have been entitled to a directed verdict regardless. Overwell...more
In Gordon v. Gordon, a couple created a revocable trust and named a friend, who provided financial advice, as successor trustee. No. 03-22-00454-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 3611 (Tex. App.—Austin May 23, 2024, no pet. history)....more
This update will address the following issues: whether a party has a right to jury trial in trust modification and other similar actions, what are the standards for pretrial receivership and injunctive relief in trust...more
Although retirement plan excessive fee cases remain an ongoing concern for plan sponsors, the recent jury trial victory for Yale in Vellali, et. al. v. Yale University, et. al. provides hope for plans with strong, prudent...more
In an unusual decision, a federal judge last month refused to strike a plaintiff class’ demand for a jury trial in an ERISA 401(k) class action. In Garthwait v. Eversource Energy Co., a class of former and current...more
With a jury deliberating, there is nothing more exactingly scrutinized by trial lawyers than a written question emanating from the jury deliberation room to the trial judge. As the judge reads the question, the lawyers,...more
David Johnson will present on fiduciary cases from Texas courts from the summer of 2021 to the summer of 2022. This presentation will address the right to a jury trial for trust claims, the statute of limitations for claims...more
A South Carolina federal district court denied plaintiffs’ demand for a jury trial in an ERISA fiduciary-breach action. The court held that, because federal courts in the Fourth Circuit and elsewhere have consistently held...more
In the recent Texas case of Trinh v. Cent. River Healthcare Grp., a pair of siblings engaged in a legal dispute over whether one sibling had breached a fiduciary duty in the management of a PLLC. NO. 03-19-00393-CV (Tex. App....more
A Georgia appellate court held that plaintiff's nearly $6 million damage award was improper because the trial court permitted the jury to view a copy of the complaint which included allegations and claims that had been...more
This presentation will cover Texas cases dealing with fiduciary issues over the survey period. Some of the issues involve the removal of a trustee, the resignation of a trustee, the production of confidential trust...more
In Continental Vineyard, LLC v. Vinifera Wine Co., LLC, --- F.3d ---, 2020 WL 5229402 (Sept. 2, 2020), the Seventh Circuit formally adopted the rule that the failure to lodge a contemporaneous objection to a jury’s general...more
Real Property Update - Fraudulent Transfer: Real property that was worth less than mortgage encumbering it was not an asset per the plain language of section 726.102(2) and, therefore, could not support fraudulent transfer...more
The District of Massachusetts court struck the plaintiffs’ jury-trial demand in their ERISA complaint for damages and equitable relief against 401(k) plan fiduciaries. The court followed the “great weight of authority” in...more
Massachusetts Institute of Technology persuaded a federal district court to toss a jury demand in a case alleging that the MIT 401(k) plan fiduciaries breached their duties by charging unreasonable administrative and...more
I last wrote about FDIC v. Ching, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92687 (E.D. Cal. July 8, 2014) in July of 2014. That post concerned Judge Kimberly J. Mueller's ruling that California's statutory restrictions on distributions to...more
For decades, California courts have mandated that an insurer is obligated to accept a “reasonable” settlement demand within policy limits on behalf of its insured. If it fails to do so, it is liable for the entire judgment,...more
As parties prepare for trial before the Surrogate’s Court, a question that oftentimes arises is whether the parties have a right to a trial by jury. The right to a jury trial is anything but universal in Surrogate’s Court...more