Charles Toutant

June 06, 2007 | Law.com

New Jersey insurance regulators have outlawed discretionary clauses in ERISA plans that give insurers the right to interpret a policy and to determine if a claimant qualifies for life, health or disability benefits. Courts will now be able to conduct de novo hearings when a carrier denies benefits. The new state Department of Banking and Insurance rule requires carriers to note that any initial interpretation they make about policy terms may be reversed by a court or through other means.

By Charles Toutant

3 minute read

July 29, 2002 | New Jersey Law Journal

It`s hard to define sometimes, but whatever it is, sports law is a nifty new niche. It can be a glamorous field, but most of sports lawyers` clients are teams, leagues, the companies that sell to them and sue them and the public bodies that regulate them.

By Charles Toutant

7 minute read

April 21, 2005 | The Legal Intelligencer

Not even a wall separates in-house lawyers from their colleagues at NRG Energy. Eight lawyers, along with the CEO and the rest of the company's 230 employees, sit in a big sea of desks.

By Charles Toutant

5 minute read

August 19, 2011 | New Jersey Law Journal

Stryker, Tams & Dill, a 113-year-old Newark firm that once numbered among New Jersey's largest, has closed its doors for good.

By Charles Toutant

6 minute read

November 28, 2001 | Law.com

With their clout over federal judicial appointments taking a beating, New Jersey's two senators are seeking to shore up their influence by joining forces. As the White House gives serious consideration to filling a 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals seat, which traditionally has been New Jersey's, with a candidate from Pennsylvania, New Jersey's senators announced the formation of a joint judicial nominations committee.

By Charles Toutant

3 minute read

January 23, 2003 | Law.com

Driven by a spate of dealmaking in the pharmaceutical sector, mergers and acquisitions touching New Jersey companies bounced back in 2002 after a brief but dramatic decline. The drug industry accounted for seven of the top 30 deals last year, with real estate the second most active sector. And unfortunately for New Jersey law firms, the top 30 mergers were forged in out-of-state shops.

By Charles Toutant

6 minute read

September 25, 2008 | New Jersey Law Journal

To help fans separate bona fide artists from pretenders, New Jersey passed the Truth in Music Act, forbidding performers to advertise themselves as affiliated with a recording group unless they demonstrate the connection. Now, groups claiming to be legitimate descendants of The Drifters, The Platters and The Coasters are fighting back.

By Charles Toutant

6 minute read

January 10, 2005 | New Jersey Law Journal

A state government commission studying revisions to the Open Public Records Act is recommending restrictions on access to particular data in documents otherwise open to inspection.

By Charles Toutant

5 minute read

July 29, 2011 | New Jersey Law Journal

Prospects for women and minorities at large New Jersey law firms showed little or no improvement this year, judged by employment figures reported to the National Association for Law Placement and to the Law Journal.

By Charles Toutant

4 minute read

January 18, 2008 | New Jersey Law Journal

New Jersey courts should put their records on the Internet, subject to excising of personal information about private parties, a state Supreme Court panel says.

By Charles Toutant

5 minute read