Author Archives: Michael L. DeBona

Water Losses 101: A Discussion of Common Causes of Water Losses and How to Investigate them – Part 2


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The newest episode of the Subro Sessions podcast, is hosted by Gus Sara, Partner, and Michael DeBona, Counsel, who are joined by guest J. Pablo Ross, PE, of Ross Engineering. The episode, entitled “Water Losses 101: A Discussion of Common Causes of Water Losses and How to Investigate Them – Part 2,” gives insight into the role of the attorney in a joint-evidence investigation, steps that subrogation professionals and experts take to complete the analysis, make appropriate recommendations to the client and the process of evidence lab examinations.

Listen to all of our episodes here.

You can also listen to Subro Sessions on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This entry was posted in Podcast, Subrogation, Water Loss and tagged , , .

Water Losses 101: A Discussion of Common Causes of Water Losses and How to Investigate Them – Part 1


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The newest episode of the Subro Sessions podcast, is hosted by Gus Sara, Partner, and Michael DeBona, Counsel, who are joined by guest J. Pablo Ross, PE, of Ross Engineering. The episode, entitled “Water Losses 101: A Discussion of Common Causes of Water Losses and How to Investigate Them – Part 1,” explores the most common property damage claim our subrogation team encounters. Gus, Michael and Pablo define the causes, types of losses including product failures, HVAC failures, pipe freezes, overflows and give an overview of what a typical investigation looks like when developing a subrogation claim.

Be sure to mark your calendar for Part 2, being released on July 16.

Listen to all of our episodes here.

You can also listen to Subro Sessions on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This entry was posted in Podcast, Subrogation and tagged , , , .
Delivery

Negligent Undertaking Claim Against Amazon May Succeed Where a Products Liability Claim Fails


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In Johnson v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 4:22-CV-04086, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 59196, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas held that Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon) can be liable for negligent undertaking claims when products sold on its website are defective.

In Johnson, the Plaintiff, Joshua Johnson (Johnson), purchased a bathmat on Amazon. The bathmat was designed, manufactured and sold by Comuster, a Chinese entity. Nine months after purchasing the bathmat, the bathmat shifted while Johnson was taking a shower and caused him to fall. Johnson sustained a severe cut on his arm that required surgery and left significant scarring.

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This entry was posted in Negligence, Products Liability, Texas and tagged , , , .

In Pennsylvania, Contractors Can Be Liable to Third Parties for Obvious Defects in Completed Work


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In Brown v. City of Oil City, No. 6 WAP 2022, 2023 Pa. LEXIS 681 (2023), the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania (Supreme Court) recently held that a contractor can be liable for dangerous conditions it creates even if the hazard is obvious or known by the property owner. In City of Oil City, the City of Oil City (Oil City) contracted with Harold Best and Struxures, LLC and Fred Burns, Inc. (collectively Contractors) to reconstruct the concrete stairs to the city library. Contractors completed their work at the end of 2011. In early 2012, Oil City received reports of issues with the stairs. Oil City notified Contractors that it considered the stairs dangerous and that Contractors’ defective workmanship created the condition. Neither Oil City or Contractors took any action to fix the stairs or warn of the danger and the stairs’ condition worsened with time. Continue reading →

This entry was posted in Construction, Negligence, Pennsylvania, Premises Liability and tagged , , , .
Signing Agreement

Amazon Can be Held Strictly Liable as a Product Seller in New Jersey


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On June 29, 2022, in N.J. Mfrs. Ins. Grp. a/s/o Angela Sigismondi v. Amazon.com, Inc., 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115826 (Sigismondi), the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey held that Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon) is a “seller” under New Jersey’s product liability statute and can thus face strict liability for damages caused by products sold on its platform. Although the analysis is state-specific, Sigismondi may serve as an important decision for allowing product defect claims to proceed against Amazon when so often the third-party vendor that lists the product is unlocatable, insolvent, or not subject to the jurisdiction of United States courts. Continue reading →

This entry was posted in New Jersey, Products Liability and tagged , , .
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California Appellate Court Rules Amazon Can Be Strictly Liable for Defective Product


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The California Court of Appeals recently ruled that Amazon.com, Inc. (Amazon) can be held strictly liable for injuries caused by a defective product sold by a third-party vender on its website. Bolger v. Amazon, D075738, 2020 Cal. App. LEXIS 761. The decision in Bolger comes just two months after the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas reached the same ruling under Texas law in McMillan v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 18-CV-2242, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 102025 Continue reading →

This entry was posted in California, Products Liability and tagged , , .

COVID-19 and Subrogation: The Coronavirus’ Impact on Property Losses and Subrogation Claims


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Will COVID-19 impact subrogation? Like so much else, the answer is “yes.”

The global effect of COVID-19 is unlike any event in human history. More than 4 billion people—over half of the world’s population—are currently under confinement measures. In just a few short weeks, COVID-19 has impacted nearly every aspect of life across the globe. In the United States, stay-at-home orders started in mid-March. We can only speculate how long this will be the new norm. On March 29th, President Trump suggested the spread of the coronavirus will not peak for at least another two weeks and he extended the national social distancing guidelines through April 30th.

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This entry was posted in Subrogation, Water Loss and tagged .
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Florida Adopts Daubert Standard for Expert Testimony


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Seven months ago, the Florida Supreme Court declined to adopt Daubert as the standard for admitting expert testimony in Florida state courts. In DeLisle v. Crane Co., 258 So. 3d 1219 (2018), the court reaffirmed that “Frye, not Daubert, is the appropriate test in Florida.” On May 23, 2019, however, Florida’s high court did an about-face. In In Re: Amendment to the Florida Evidence Code, No. SC19-107, the Florida Supreme Court overruled its decision in DeLisle and declared that Florida will now apply the Daubert standard to determine whether scientific evidence is admissible. Continue reading →

This entry was posted in Evidence, Experts, Experts – Daubert, Florida and tagged , , .
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New York Court Holds That the “Lesser of Two” Doctrine Limits Recoverable Damages in Subrogation Actions


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In New York Cent. Mut. Ins. Co. v. TopBuild Home Servs., Inc., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 69634 (April 24, 2019), the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York recently held that the “lesser of two” doctrine applies to subrogation actions, thereby limiting property damages to the lesser of repair costs or the property’s diminution in value. Continue reading →

This entry was posted in Damages, Damages - Real Property, New York, Subrogation and tagged , , .

New Jersey Clarifies How the Discovery Rule Applies In Construction Cases


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In Palisades at Fort Lee Condominium Association v. 100 Old Palisade, LLC, et al., 2017 N.J. LEXIS 845 (Palisades), the Supreme Court of New Jersey addressed how the discovery rule – which tolls the statute of limitations – applies in construction defect cases. The court clarified that, when a building has multiple owners, the statute of limitations begins to run when the first owner – be it an original or subsequent owner – in the line of building owners reasonably knew or should have known of the basis for a cause of action.

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This entry was posted in Construction Defects, New Jersey, Statute of Limitations-Repose and tagged , , .