Category: General Liability and Insurance Law

Tom Marjerison recently secured an appellate victory before the Maine Law Court in Wilson v. Gurney, which addressed the scope of a homeowner’s liability for the acts of third parties on their premises. In Wilson, the 18-year-old Defendant hosted a house party that quickly raged out of control. As a result, uninvited guests arrived and...

Cecilia Shields-Auble and Brad Pattershall recently secured partial summary judgment for the defendants in Shannon Simendinger v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. and Fort Kent Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Maine, Docket No. CARSC-CV-2025-05, a tort case pending in Aroostook County Superior Court in Caribou, Maine.  The Court entered an order granting...

Chris Taintor and Russell Pierce recently posted a major appellate victory before the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Friedman v. Central Maine Power Company.  In its decision, the First Circuit affirmed an Order of Summary Judgment in favor of Central Maine Power Company in a case challenging the safety of...

Tom Marjerison was recently appointed as the Chair of the Maine State Committee for the American College of Trial Lawyers. Tom follows in the footsteps of Mark Lavoie who previously served as the Maine State Chair. The American College of Trial Lawyers is comprised of the best of the trial bar from the United States...

Lyndsey Mattus and Devin Deane recently secured summary judgment in Johnson v. CedarWorks, Inc., Docket No. ROCSC-CV-2023-00016–a products liability case pending in Knox County Superior Court. The plaintiff did not appeal the Court’s entry of summary judgment resulting in a final, undisturbed win for CedarWorks, an excellent family business in Mid-Coast Maine.  The case involved...

Norman, Hanson & DeTroy is pleased to announce that Cecilia J. Shields-Auble has joined the firm as an associate in the firm’s litigation group.  Her practice includes criminal and civil litigation in both state and federal courts. Recently, Cecilia served as a law clerk for Judge Karen Frink Wolf of the U.S. District Court for...

Tom Marjerison was recently appointed to the Local Rules Advisory Committee for the United States District Court for the District of Maine. T­­om represents clients in civil and criminal trials in state and federal courts and is the Vice-Chair of the State Committee for the American College of Trial Lawyers. Tom previously served on the...

At the firm’s recent Membership meeting, John Veilleux was unanimously reelected by Members of the firm for his third term as the firm’s Managing Attorney.  John was first elected to this position in late 2020 when Managing Attorney Steve Hessert retired.  John formally took the reins as Managing Attorney in January 2021 after serving as...

Sam Johnson and Tom Marjerison recently posted an appellate victory for their clients in Davis v. Squirrel Island Corp., et al. In its Memorandum of Decision, the Maine Law Court affirmed the Lincoln County Superior Court’s granting of Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss. The Law Court adopted the argument set forth in the lower court that...

Sam Johnson and John Veilleux recently scored an appellate win in Fama, et al v. Bob’s, LLC, et al, 2024 ME 73, — A.3d —, which overruled the Superior Court’s denial of summary judgment. The Law Court concluded that the Plaintiff’s liquor liability claim against a restaurant was barred by the named and retained requirement...

Brad Pattershall recently secured the dismissal for his client Tommy Woodward, Inc. d/b/a Columbia Diesel Castings (“Columbia Diesel”), a Mississippi corporation, when the United States District Court determined it lacked personal jurisdiction over Columbia Diesel. The case was initiated by a local company called Three Girls Fishing, LLC (“Three Girls”), that owned a commercial fishing...

Matt Mehalic and Sam Johnson presented a seminar addressing common third-party liability coverage issues under a Businessowners policy and also provided helpful hints for 30(b)(6) depositions of insurance professionals at the Concord Group Insurance Companies on August 1, 2024.  The presentation gave Matt and Sam an opportunity to offer insights into application of insurance provisions...