Judicial nomination commission comes to town
By Daily Record Staff
POSTED: May 18, 2012
Tags: On the Town
Judge Judith S. Kaye and a cast of legal power players are encouraging qualified attorneys to apply for an upcoming vacancy on the New York State Court of Appeals. They spoke to nearly 50 people Wednesday at the Telesca Center for Justice, describing the nomination process in their presentation of “The Road to the Court [...]
Bankruptcy judgeships get temporary extension 
By Dolan Media Newswires
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: bankruptcy judgeships, Congress, temporary extension
Congress has passed legislation that will temporarily save dozens of bankruptcy judgeships in 14 states and Puerto Rico from expiring. The Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2012, H.R. 4967, which is expected to be signed into law by President Barack Obama, extends for an additional five years 29 temporary judgeships previously created by Congress. [...]
Court OKs Legislature lines for fall elections
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: district lines, election districts, New York State
ALBANY — A panel of federal judges says the new election district lines drawn by the Senate and Assembly majorities will be used in the fall elections. The decision is a critical win for Senate Republicans hoping to secure their slim majority in the chamber despite a Democratic voter advantage of nearly 2-to-1 in the [...]
Hearings on ‘forced’ insurance in foreclosure
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: foreclosure, Insurance, regulators
ALBANY — New York regulators say premiums for so-called “force-placed” insurance have more than tripled since 2004, producing enormous profits for insurers and the banks that take out policies when a homeowner fails to maintain coverage required by the mortgage. Department of Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky says in some cases the premiums are “exponentially [...]
Utility customers to get $2 million in refunds
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: refunds, utility customers
ALBANY — New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman says checks totaling nearly $2 million are in the mail to 2,700 New York customers of Columbia Utilities LLC and Columbia Utilities Power LLC. He says Thursday the companies lured consumers with false promises of 15 percent lower rates and instead their bills went up. Also, when [...]
Lacrosse championships inspire wager
By Daily Record Staff
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: championships, National Lacrosse League, wager
As the Rochester Knighthawks prepare for the National Lacrosse League Champion’s Cup Finals this Saturday against the Edmonton Rush, Rochester Mayor Thomas S. Richards and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada’s mayor, Stephen Mandel, have announced a friendly wager. The game is at 7:30 p.m. at the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial and the stakes have [...]
Buffalo cop charged with defrauding program
By Daily Record Staff
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: Buffalo police officer, charged, mail and health care fraud
Patrick S. O’Mara, 50, of Buffalo, is charged by with mail fraud and health care fraud, U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced Thursday. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine or both. Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Rogowski reported O’Mara, a Buffalo police officer, was placed on [...]
RBBA releases judicial evaluations
By Daily Record Staff
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: evaluations, Judicial Candidate, Rochester Black Bar Association
The Rochester Black Bar Association has completed its evaluation of the 2012 judicial candidates. As with prior years, rating options include a qualification rating and a rating for racial/diversity sensitivity. The qualification scale includes the following options: HQ-highly qualified, Q-qualified and U-unqualified. The racial/diversity sensitivity scale includes: HS-high sensitivity, MS-moderate sensitivity and LS-low sensitivity. Accordingly, [...]
Fate of ‘uninsurables’ hinges on U.S. Supreme Court
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: health care law, U.S. supreme court, uninsurables
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Cancer patient Kathy Watson voted Republican in 2008 and believes the government has no right telling Americans to get health insurance. Nonetheless, she says she’d be dead if it weren’t for President Barack Obama’s health care law. Now the Florida small businesswoman is worried the U.S. Supreme Court will strike down her [...]
DFS issues new requirement for life insurers
By Todd Etshman
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: Death Benefits, department of financial services, life insurers, new requirement
Insurance companies that issue life insurance policies in New York state must now implement reasonable procedures to identify unclaimed death benefits and find (and pay) their beneficiaries — this according to a new regulation issued by the New York State Department of Financial Services this week. Insurance Regulation 200 requires life insurance companies to check [...]
Lippman discusses his job, threats to the judiciary
By Denise M. Champagne
POSTED: May 17, 2012
Tags: Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, court reforms, webcast
A judge’s life experiences come into play in the cases they decide, according to New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman. “We look at so many issues,” he said late Wednesday afternoon via a live webcast on court reforms, broadcast from the Unified Court System’s website. Judge Lippman said the judges on the state Court [...]
Several fed members could support further easing
By The Associated Press
POSTED: May 16, 2012
Tags: easing, Fed
WASHINGTON — Federal Reserve policymakers are open to further efforts to stimulate the U.S. economy if growth falters or threats escalate. Minutes of the central bank’s April 24-25 meeting released Wednesday stated that “several members” thought additional Fed support could be needed if the recovery lost momentum or if the risks to the economy [...]
