As America continues to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the judicial branch is racing to re-engineer the jury trial for the coronavirus era. In the wake of national lockdown, several schools of thought emerged on resuming jury trials. First is a completely virtual trial by jury, where the entire case -- from voir dire to jury deliberation -- unfolds online.

Regardless of your mindset, you are now forging a new frontier in remote advocacy whether you like it or not. Here are some tips to make the Zoom life easier.

Washington’s ever-expanding tort of bad faith requires insurers to deal fairly with their insureds, or face serious consequences including obligations beyond policy limits, and non-economic damages. At first glance, the duty appears straightforward, but in application the duty to give “equal consideration in all matters to the insured's interests” is a complicated mire strewn with pitfalls.

In mediation, we often come across parties who have invested so much into litigation, in terms of either time or money, they are driven to continue with a case even in the face of likely loss. The world of gambling calls this "pot committed.”

On October 3, 2019, in a 5 to 4 decision, the Washington Supreme Court held in Keodalah v. Allstate Ins. Co., 95867-0, 2019 WL 4877438 (Wash. Oct. 3, 2019) that “employee adjusters are not subject to personal liability for insurance bad faith or per se claims under the CPA [Consumer Protection Act].”

The American workforce is not the only aging feature of the occupational landscape. So too is the body of regulatory standards aimed at protecting that workforce. 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act

Since the advent of COVID-19 and the recent onset of heavy, smoke-filled skies from fires in the Pacific Northwest, life as we know it has become seemingly less predictable. In these times of uncertainty, the one thing that has not changed is WDTL’s commitment to Treehouse’s annual back-to-school drive.

In each edition of the Defense News we feature Defense Wins of our members and colleagues. WDTL is proud of our defense attorneys and we like to share their accomplishments. Please share your wins with the editorial team.