Maria Elena Abate Law Blog

The law and governmental consulting firm of Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky and Abate announced on May 11, 2012 that it has named founding partner Mike Colodny as Managing Partner. 

Mr. Colodny, who founded the Firm in the mid-1970s with Joel Fass and Howard Talenfeld, successfully developed it into its current prominence in the areas of commercial litigation, insurance regulatory law and governmental consulting.  He... Read More

In Kauffman v. Community Inclusions, Inc./Guarantee Insurance Co., 57 So. 3d 919 (Fla. 1st DCA 2011), the First District Court of Appeal confirmed that the workers' compensation statute, section 440.34, Fla. Stat., limits claimants' attorney's fees to a percentage of benefits obtained based on a statutory formula. 

Previously, in 2008, the Supreme Court of Florida issued an opinion in Murray v. Mariner Health, 994 So. 2d 1051 (Fla. 2008), which... Read More

An audio file and interested party comments from the June 20, 2011 Florida Office of Insurance Regulation ("OIR") public Rule hearing on Form OIR-B1-1802, also known as the "Uniform Mitigation Verification Inspection Form," are now available.  

The purpose of the hearing was to consider proposed updates to the Form that would reflect 2010 statutory changes and other related issues. 

To access the audio file... Read More

Colodny, Fass, Talenfeld, Karlinsky & Abate Shareholder Maria Elena Abate and Senior Associate Amy Koltnow have been accepted into the Council on Litigation Management ("CLM"), a national organization committed to furthering high standards of... Read More

Attorneys, lawyers, law enforcement personnel, healthcare providers, teachers, students, researchers, religious institutions and other interested members of the public are invited to attend the Read More

The U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") announced on September 19, 2011, that it, along with seven states and various state agencies, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service that is expected to facilitate efforts against businesses that misclassify workers as independent contractors or non-employees in order to avoid providing certain employment benefits, such as overtime pay and workers' compensation.

Florida is not among... Read More

The following article was posted to the Inc.com website on September 12, 2011:

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The following article was published in the New York Times on September 12, 2011:

By Bill Vlasic

Nothing distinguishes them from other workers at the Jefferson North plant, except their paychecks. The newest workers earn about $14 an hour; longtime employees earn double that.

With the economy slumping and job creation once again a pressing issue in the White House and Congress, the advent of a two-tier wage system in Detroit is... Read More

The Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Agent and Agency Services filed a Notice of Disposition of Petition for Administration Determination ("Notice") for Rule 69B-211.042, "Effect of Law Enforcement Records on Applications for Licensure," on September 9, 2011. 

In Santana v.... Read More

The Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments on September 9, 2011, in the case of Atwater v. Kortum, which challenges the constitutionality of a 2008 Florida law regarding how and when public insurance adjusters may contact property owners following a disaster.

A report from The News Service of Florida is reprinted below.

COURT HEARS PUBLIC ADJUSTERS CASE

By MICHAEL PELTIER
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA

THE CAPITAL,... Read More