This column reports on notable decisions of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York. This installment discusses a pair of recent decisions that address thorny issues that often confound even seasoned practitioners: an opinion by Senior District Judge Norman A. Mordue discussing the rules for attorney disqualification and an opinion by District Judge Lawrence E. Kahn ruling on the role of evidentiary rules in summary judgment.
Attorney Disqualification
In Utica Mutual Insurance Company v. Employees Insurance Company of Wausau and National Casualty Company,1 Judge Mordue navigated the somewhat murky waters of attorney disqualification. There, Utica Mutual was represented by attorneys from Hunton & Williams in an insurance coverage dispute and litigation with its insured. Wausau and National Casualty were reinsurers of Utica covering the insurance dispute.
