DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Here are key steps to file a homeowners insurance claim after a natural disaster, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

"You'll eventually have to schedule with the insurance company to actually review and inspect the damage." "Then you can call the insurance company, take pictures of the damage and [move] items into safer locations," Martin said. Make a log of damagesDuring your call, provide your insurance company with some initial details, like if your roof blew off or several windows broke, said Porter. Materials purchased to protect the home before the natural disaster — for example, plywood to cover windows — are oftentimes not covered. You also want to keep a record of receipts when you start working with contractors to rebuild from the damage, experts say.

Persons: David Hester, Hurricane Helene, Chandan Khanna, Porter, You'll, Bankrate.com's Martin, Martin, it's, Daniel Schwarcz, Schwarcz Organizations: Afp, Getty, University of Minnesota Law, Materials Locations: Horseshoe Beach , Florida

☆ TikTok is fighting for its life in US court — and it's on track to lose, former DOJ official says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Attorneys for the US government and the widely popular social media app faced off on Monday in a federal appeals court as TikTok fights against a law that could soon see the platform banned in the country. Rozenshtein said that he believes the appeals court will rule "decisively" and "comprehensively" against TikTok. AdvertisementTikTok's lawyer argued the law 'imposes extraordinary speech prohibition'In his oral arguments on Monday, TikTok lawyer Andrew Pincus slammed the law as "unprecedented." AdvertisementThe panel of judges, at times, seemed skeptical of TikTok's arguments. After the appeals court issues its ruling, the case could end up before the Supreme Court where Rozenshtein also predicts TikTok will not fare well.

Persons: —, Alan Rozenshtein, Rozenshtein, Joe Biden, TikTok's, Biden, haven't, TikTok, Andrew Pincus, Pincus, Daniel Tenny, Sarah Kreps, Kreps, Jaffer Organizations: Service, Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, TikTok, Business, Justice Department, University of Minnesota Law School, Chinese Communist Party, Justice, Tech, Institute, New York's Cornell University, Columbia University —, Pew Research Center Locations: TikTok's Beijing, ByteDance, China, United States

☆ A 'man-made disaster' could make it trickier to buy or sell a home in some areas this fall, real estate expert says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-26 | by ( Ana Teresa Solá | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

That's because the National Flood Insurance Program — the government-sponsored public insurance program that is the largest flood insurer in the U.S. — needs to be reauthorized by Sept. 30 to continue to issue new policies or increase coverage on existing policies. "There are very few private insurers that offer any type of flood insurance," said Daniel Schwarcz, a professor of law at the University of Minnesota Law School who focuses on insurance law and regulation. In that report, from 2011, it estimated a one-month NFIP lapse could affect about 40,000 closings. "There is no need to take the risk that the flood insurance program will lapse when you could close ahead of Sept. Then in 2021, FEMA implemented Risk Rating 2.0, a new pricing system that would accurately reflect the cost of an area's risk.

Persons: Jaret Seiberg, Cowen, Jeremy Porter, Daniel Schwarcz, Cowen's, Yanjun Liao, Liao, Schwarcz, Foundation's Porter, Porter Organizations: Getty, Federal Reserve, National Flood Insurance, Federal Emergency Management Agency, First Street Foundation, University of Minnesota Law School, National Association of Realtors, FEMA, Resources Locations: U.S, New York, Washington ,

The company argues that the law violates the First Amendment by effectively killing an app in the U.S. that millions of Americans use to share their views. Another problem: a divestiture within 270 days is practically impossible, Sapna Maheshwari and David McCabe report for The Times. DealBook spoke with Maheshwari about the lawsuit filed yesterday and what happens next. Do legal experts think TikTok has a chance at winning? Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, says that a victory is possible based on the “very, very substantial First Amendment challenge” involved.

Persons: TikTok, Sapna Maheshwari, David McCabe, DealBook, Maheshwari, Alan Rozenshtein, ” Organizations: U.S, The Times, University of Minnesota Law School Locations: Washington, ByteDance, U.S

☆ A homebuyer's guide to the real-estate revolution
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Real-estate agents' commissions have fluctuated between 5% and 6% of the sale price for decades, despite advances in technology and an influx of agents. The recent lawsuits, which accused the NAR and some of the country's largest brokerages of conspiring to keep agents' commissions unfairly high, could signal the start of a new era. If sellers aren't paying out commissions to buyers' agents, buyers themselves could end up on the hook. For example, what happens if the seller isn't willing to pay the buyer's agent's commission? In most states, the buyer's agent can technically just rebate that extra money to their client.

Persons: Austin Whitt, Whitt, —, I've, Steve Brobeck, Sabrina Brown, they've, Michael Warren, Sellers, Prentiss Cox, it'll, you've, doesn't, Jack Ryan, Ryan, homebuying, Rob Hahn, Wendy Gilch, Gilch, I'm, it's, David Dworkin, Dworkin, Cox, It's Organizations: Realtors, National Association of Realtors, NAR, Consumer Federation of America, Getty, University of Minnesota, MLS, Consumer Federation of, National Housing Conference, Justice Department Locations: Tennessee, Nashville, America, North Carolina, United Kingdom, Australia

☆ How legal fights and stalling by judge could push Trump documents trial after election
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Tierney Sneed | Hannah Rabinowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The longer it takes for Cannon to decide these issues, the more likely a trial would need to wait until after the November presidential election. But Cannon’s critics view the pace of the Trump prosecution with added suspicion because of how she handled a separate, 2022 lawsuit Trump brought attacking the FBI’s documents investigation. In that lawsuit, Cannon granted an extraordinary Trump request for a third-party review of the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago resort for the classified documents. Now, critics accuse Cannon of – purposely or not – playing into Trump’s strategy of delaying the trial until after the election. Hours after the hearing, Cannon rejected Trump’s first claim, that the national defense law he is charged under was too vague.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Prosecutors, Jack Smith, ”, Smith, Alan Rozenshtein, “, Trump, –, Barbara McQuade, Obama, ” McQuade, won’t, nudges, doesn’t, McQuade, Southern District of Florida Aileen Cannon, Lothar Speer Cannon, ” David Aaron, ” Aaron, Aaron, CIPA, they’re, that’s, Mark Schnapp, Trump’s, Rozenshtein, Cannon “, Judge Cannon’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, University of Minnesota Law School, Justice Department, Biden White, University of Michigan Law School, US, Court, Southern, Southern District of, DOJ, DOJ National Security, Presidential, National Archives, ” Prosecutors, White Locations: Southern District, Southern District of Florida, Florida

☆ Seeking the ‘Right’ Customers, an Insurer Is Accused of Discrimination
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Emily Flitter | More About Emily Flitter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A spokesman for the Maryland Insurance Administration declined to comment. The dispute reveals how a long-used insurance industry technique, ostensibly aimed at managing risk, can open the door to bias. As they evaluate a customer, agents are expected to decide whether a potential customer seems honest or reliable, or judge how tidy or well maintained their home is. “There are all kinds of conscious and unconscious biases involved.”Insurers have also been accused of discriminating against Black and Hispanic customers in other ways. But the accusation against Erie is that its policies kept Black and Hispanic homeowners out of its customer rolls in the first place.

Persons: Matthew Cummings, ”, Daniel Schwarcz Organizations: Maryland Insurance, University of Minnesota Law School, State Farm, Erie Locations: Erie, Chicago

☆ Justice Amy Coney Barrett says it would be a 'good idea' for the Supreme Court to institute an ethics code
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Amy Coney Barrett on Monday endorsed the idea for a formal ethics code for the Supreme Court. Barrett, a conservative former federal appeals court judge who has served on the Supreme Court since October 2020, told an audience at the University of Minnesota Law School that instituting an ethics code would allow the justices to offer the public greater transparency. And she also pushed back against any idea that the justices differed on the necessity of creating an ethics code. But when the host, former Minnesota Law Dean and professor Robert Stein, asked Barrett about a timeline for when the high court might institute an ethics code, she said she wasn't able to offer any specifics. The push for increased ethics rules for the high court has grown louder this year following detailed reports of the activities of several justices off the bench.

Persons: Amy Coney Barrett, Barrett, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, —, Minnesota Law Dean, Robert Stein, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Roe, Wade, ProPublica, Harlan Crow, Thomas, Paul Singer, Alito Organizations: Supreme, University of Minnesota Law School, Service, US, Appeals, Seventh Circuit, Minnesota Law, Wall Locations: Minnesota

The U.S. consumer agency, which enforces federal antitrust law, and 17 states filed their lawsuit against Amazon in Seattle federal court on Tuesday, asking a U.S. judge to consider an injunction and other penalties to combat alleged unlawful conduct. The FTC's lawsuit is related to but broader than a series of private consumer cases filed in recent years against Amazon that are pending in the same U.S. federal court. The private antitrust cases offer an early window into some of the legal arguments Amazon could be expected to make to challenge the FTC's lawsuit. Generally speaking, U.S. judges are "wary of using antitrust law to punish low-pricing behavior," said antitrust scholar Sean Sullivan of the University of Iowa's law school. Sullivan said it is not always a clear line between "good low pricing" — based on market competition — and "bad low pricing" that helps a company acquire or maintain market power.

Persons: Mike Segar, David Balto, Diane Hazel, Foley, Lardner, Hazel, Tom Cotter, David Zapolsky, Zapolsky, Lina Khan, Ricardo Martinez, Martinez, George W, Bush, Sean Sullivan, Sullivan, Mike Scarcella, Leigh Jones Organizations: REUTERS, U.S . Federal Trade, Amazon.com, Amazon, Reuters, FTC, U.S, University of Minnesota Law School, District, University of, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, Seattle, Washington, Mt, Rainier

The judge described how Trump, his adult sons Donald Jr. and Eric, the Trump Organization and other defendants made up valuations and inflated Trump's net worth to suit their business needs. Trump and the other defendants have argued that they never committed fraud, and that the challenged transactions were profitable. Engoron said James submitted "conclusive evidence" that Trump had overstated his net worth by between $812 million and $2.2 billion. Engoron's decision does not automatically mean James' fraud case will go to trial next Monday. Trump has sued to delay the trial, accusing Engoron and James of ignoring the appeals court order to narrow the case.

Persons: Donald Trump, Scott Morgan, Justice Arthur Engoron, Letitia James, Engoron, Trump, Donald Jr, Eric, Christopher Kise, James, Bill Black, Black, Lawfare, Hunt, Trump's overvaluations, Trump's, Ivanka, Democrat Joe Biden, Jean Carroll, Karen Freifeld, Jack Queen, Jonathan Stempel, Chris Reese, Deepa Babington, Leslie Adler Organizations: U.S, Republican, REUTERS, Trump Organization, Trump, University of Minnesota Law School, Trump Organization of, Democrat Locations: Dubuque , Iowa, U.S, York, New York, Manhattan, Lago, Florida, Manhattan's, Saudi Arabia

☆ In April, Trump said his private-jet LLC was worth no more than $1,001. Then in July, he said it was worth up to $25 million. Why?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Mattathias Schwartz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Revised Trump ethics filings show massive shifts in the value of some Trump entities. In an April filing with the Office of Government Ethics, Trump claimed that the TAG Air had a value of $1,001 or less. Then, in a revised July filing, Trump valued TAG Air at between $5 million and $25 million. During the 2016 campaign, taxpayers reportedly paid TAG Air $1.6 million to cover the cost of transporting the Secret Service agents charged with protecting him. Here is Trump's first financial disclosure form, filed in April:And here is Trump's revised financial disclosure form, from July, in two parts.

Persons: Trump, Donald Trump, Letitia James, Steven Cheung, James's, Mike Pence's, General James, Richard W, Painter Organizations: Trump, Service, Trump Organization, New York, TAG Air, Inc, Boeing, Government, TAG, Secret Service, United Arab, China, Management, Briarcliff Manor Development, White, University of Minnesota, Chase Manhattan Bank Locations: cryptocurrency, Iran, China, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, New York State, York, Ethereum, Turkey, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, South Korea, Ireland, Briarcliff Manor

☆ DeSantis said he's 'basically moved on' from the Disney feud — and now wants Bob Iger to drop the lawsuit against Florida that legal experts say the company could win
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis told CNBC he and his allies would like to move on from the Disney feud. DeSantis said he would tell Disney CEO Bob Iger to drop the lawsuit, and that they can't win it. I'm totally fine with that," DeSantis told CNBC. When asked what he would tell Disney CEO Bob Iger today, DeSantis said he would tell him to "drop the lawsuit." The Walt Disney Company and DeSantis's office did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Bob Iger, Disney —, They're, Sindhu Sundar, that's, David Schultz, it's Organizations: Florida Gov, CNBC, Disney, Service, Gov, Florida, University of Minnesota, Walt Disney Company Locations: Florida, Wall, Silicon

☆ Move or Quit: Grindr Dictates New Office Rules Amid Union Drive
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Emma Goldberg | More About Emma Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Grindr said that the plan had been in the works for months, and that the employees had been warned earlier in the summer that their remote work arrangements would end. election petition,” a company spokesperson said. Many companies have started to issue office attendance rules, with some indicating that they will monitor badge swipes or incorporate compliance into performance reviews. For employees at Grindr, the difficulty of the N.L.R.B. “What Grindr will say is that it reached this completely independent of any actions by the employees to organize,” Mr. Bodie said.

Persons: Grindr, ”, Matt Bodie, Mr, Bodie, “ Organizations: University of Minnesota Law School Locations: Grindr

☆ Insurer’s Retreat in Florida Signals Crisis With No Easy Fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Emily Flitter | More About Emily Flitter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Insurers are trapped in a riddle: In a world where the risk of costly disasters is rising but high premiums are squeezing policyholders and angering state regulators, how can they continue to make money? Farmers, one of America’s biggest home insurers, didn’t say what specifically led to its decision. Was the cost of payouts too high in recent years, which saw record-setting numbers of billion-dollar disasters, just as rates charged by reinsurers, which sell insurance to insurers, were rising? Or is Farmers playing a game of chicken with state regulators, hoping that walking away now will give it leverage to charge customers more in the future? “A lot of insurers have been losing a lot of money in Florida and they’ve been threatening to leave for years,” said Daniel Schwarcz, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School who specializes in insurance.

Persons: they’ve, ”, Daniel Schwarcz Organizations: Farmers Insurance, reinsurers, Farmers, University of Minnesota Law School Locations: Florida

Miami CNN —Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 37 charges related to alleged mishandling of classified documents. During the hearing, Trump sat hunched over with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. The criminal charges in the Justice Department’s classified documents case escalates the legal jeopardy surrounding the 2024 GOP front-runner. What Tuesday’s hearing is aboutAttorneys Todd Blanche and Chris Kise represented Trump in court for the arraignment. The new charges in the DOJ documents case are drastically more serious and present the possibility of several years in prison if Trump is ultimately convicted.

Persons: Donald Trump, ” Trump, Todd Blanche, Trump, Trump’s, Walt Nauta, Jonathan Goodman, Nauta, David Harbach, ” Goodman, “, Department’s, Jack Smith, Justice Department’s, Aileen Cannon –, Lago, –, Chris Kise, Alina Habba, ” Habba, ”, Jay Bratt, Harbach, Julie Edelstein, David Aaron, Perkins, Cannon, Alan Rozenshtein, ” Kel McClanahan Organizations: Miami CNN, Justice Department, Trump, Justice, Doral, Mar, DOJ, “, West Palm Beach, DOJ National Security Division, University of Minnesota, Circuit, George Washington University Law School, CNN Locations: Miami, New York, Ft . Pierce , Florida, West Palm

☆ Ron DeSantis' memoir could come back to bite him in Disney legal battle
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Statements in DeSantis' bestselling memoir may hold the proof Disney needs to win its case. Ron DeSantis may have inadvertently handed Disney key evidence it needs to beat him in their escalating legal and political battle. In addition to supporting legislation against Disney, DeSantis has also frequently and fervently railed against the "woke" company. Ron DeSantis is again going after Walt Disney World, after the company launched a stealth power play. Executive Office of the Governor, State of FloridaAs promotion for his memoir, DeSantis also penned a February Wall Street Journal editorial entitled "Why I Stood up to Disney."

☆ Disney's lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis has teeth, legal experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Disney's lawsuit accused Florida officials of infringing on its constitutional rights. Ron DeSantis culminated in a stunning lawsuit on Wednesday, where the entertainment giant said state officials retaliated against it, citing a lawmaker who said "You kick the hornet's nest, things come up." Schultz said Disney could even seek in the lawsuit to depose DeSantis, who is widely expected to run for president. It targets The Walt Disney Company." The position articulated by state officials — including that the bill's focus extends beyond Disney — shows Disney will likely keep drawing on more pointed material to support its retaliation claims, said Schutz.

☆ Welcome to the age of 'AI-nxiety,' in which anxiety about AI taking over our jobs and lives is at the top of everybody's minds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Reena Koh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The threat of AI is increasingly clear and well founded, and it is causing serious anxiety. Luckily, this wave of AI technology is projected to create 97 million new jobs, according to the World Economic Forum. Their forecast has proven to be true so far, as despite being in the early stages of development, AI technology has already significantly threatened a variety of industries. Just within the last couple of weeks, Buzzfeed announced that it will be using AI technology to generate content, while Netflix Japan has already created an animated film using AI-generated artwork, according to Vice. Simply put, the AI revolution is here to stay, and its ramifications will become increasingly noticeable in our everyday lives.

☆ ChatGPT passes exams from law and business schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —ChatGPT is smart enough to pass prestigious graduate-level exams – though not with particularly high marks. The powerful new AI chatbot tool recently passed law exams in four courses at the University of Minnesota and another exam at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, according to professors at the schools. To test how well ChatGPT could generate answers on exams for the four courses, professors at the University of Minnesota Law School recently graded the tests blindly. ChatGPT fared better during a business management course exam at Wharton, where it earned a B to B- grade. “ChatGPT struggled with the most classic components of law school exams, such as spotting potential legal issues and deep analysis applying legal rules to the facts of a case,” Choi said.

☆ Minnesota candidate on coming out as queer midcampaign: 'I felt it was important'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Julie Moreau | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Moriarty, a candidate for Hennepin County attorney — whose jurisdiction includes Minneapolis — came out as queer on the campaign trail in January. “It could be a risky thing, coming out publicly during the campaign, but I felt it was important,” Moriarty told NBC News. She spent over three decades as a public defender in Hennepin County, and in 2014 she became the county’s first female chief public defender. “I had been talking about race and the policies of the current public attorney. I got accused of calling a justice partner a racist in public.”Moriarty wasn’t reappointed as chief public defender after that, she said.

Search resuls for: "University of Minnesota Law"

20 mentions found