Category: Newsworthy

By Devin W. Deane, Esq. In a recent decision, Roy v. Correct Care Solutions, LLC, 914 F.3d 52 (1st Cir. 2019), the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit significantly expanded the scope and reach of employer and non-employer liability under the Maine Human Rights Act (“MHRA”).  Addressing “unresolved questions of Maine Law,”...

By Matthew T. Mehalic, Esq., CPCU In John Sweet II v. Carl E. Breivogel et al., 2019 ME 18 (Jan. 29, 2019), the Law Court looked at the connection between the Home Construction Contracts Act (HCCA) and the Unfair Trade Practice Act (UTPA).  The case arose out of the home construction of a timber frame...

By Matthew T. Mehalic, Esq., CPCU In Vermont Mutual Insurance Company v. Jonathan Ben-Ami, et al., 2018 ME 125 (August 21, 2018), the Law Court addressed whether the expected or intended injury exclusion applied where an individual carried through a premeditated attack on another.  James Poliquin, Esq. of Norman, Hanson & DeTroy, LLC represented Vermont...

By:  Stephen Hessert Background Medicare came into being in 1935 as part of the original Social Security Act enacted by Congress.  It was described as “a federally funded health insurance program for the elderly and the disabled.”  Over the years, its cost became problematic and in the late 1970s, a General Accounting Office study suggested...

Chambers & Partners USA 2018 has recognized NHD as a Top Firm in the category Litigation: General Commercial. Additionally the following NHD attorneys have received the “Ranked Lawyer” distinction in the publication: Emily A. Bloch – Maine Litigation: Medical Malpractice & Insurance Jonathan W. Brogan – Maine Litigation: Medical Malpractice & Insurance Mark G. Lavoie...

Average Weekly Wage The employee was employed by the same employer for 52 weeks prior to a December 17, 2014 injury, but for approximately 13 of those weeks she was out of work for non-occupational reasons and received STD benefits which were substantially lower than her customary weekly earnings.  The ALJ determined the average weekly...

Statute of Limitations Ten years ago the Law Court ruled in Wilson v. Bath Iron Works, 2008 ME 47, 942 A.2d 1237 that the two-year statute of limitations does not begin to run until the employer files a First Report of Injury, regardless of how much time may have passed since the injury occurred.  In...

Waiver of Issues The employee filed a Petition for Award resulting from a December 8, 2015 injury to her neck and left hand.  She also filed a Petition for Reinstatement.  She had not worked for the employer since the date of injury, and a dispute arose as to whether the employer had offered her suitable...

By Jessica S. Smith, Esq. There has been a longstanding discussion in the Maine legal community surrounding the recoverability and, therefore, the admissibility, of medical expenses billed by a provider versus those that are actually paid by the patient, her insurer, or the government.   The argument stems from the fact that third-party payers such as...

By Samuel G. Johnson, Esq. Introduction: It’s not every day an attorney tells you to decline insurance coverage for a potential loss.  Well brace yourselves, because that is exactly what I am going to do in this article. Whether your car is in the shop for repairs or you are taking a long vacation far...

Jonathan W. Brogan, a member of the law firm of Norman, Hanson & DeTroy, LLC, has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in America. Brogan, who concentrates his practice in litigation, was recently inducted into the College during the association’s 2018 annual meeting. Fellowship in...

It is important to recognize the accomplishments of our attorneys both in and out of the courtroom.  When we learned Kelly Hoffman was named to the U.S. Women’s Masters Field Hockey training squad, we recognized this achievement in the “Kudos” section of our Summer 2017 newsletter.  We are elated to announce that after five months...