Join Shipman & Goodwin Immigration attorneys Brenda Eckert and Ashley Mendoza for this complimentary webinar specific to a college and university audience. Presenters will review
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Register Now for the 2017 Labor and Employment Fall Seminar
Please join us for our annual fall seminar on November 2, 2017 at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. This promises to be an interesting and informative
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Statutory Changes to Athletic Trainer Laws: What’s New?
Earlier this summer, the Connecticut General Assembly passed Public Act No. 17-195, An Act Concerning Athletic Trainers (the “Act”), which amended the statute governing the
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Presidential Proclamation Outlines Rules for New Travel Ban
On September 24, 2017, the Trump administration issued a proclamation that imposes new travel restrictions on foreign nationals seeking to enter the United States from
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U.S. Department of Education Withdraws Prior Title IX Guidance and Issues Interim Guidance on Sexual Misconduct
Last Friday, in advance of the public rule-making process concerning schools’ Title IX responsibilities, the U.S. Department of Education rescinded its current Title IX guidance
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Equal Access in the Digital Age: OCR Ramps Up Investigations into Website Accessibility
Consider the fact that we now live in a digital age, with limitless information at our fingertips, accessible (to many of us) with a few
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DHS Rescinds Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): What You Need to Know About the End of DACA
On September 5, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) initiated the orderly phase out of the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
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U.S. Department of Education Announces Intention to Review and Replace Title IX Regulations Concerning Sexual Harassment and Violence
On Thursday, in a speech by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy Devos, the Department announced that it would undertake a review of its current
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Gwen Zittoun and Amber Sarno Named New Leaders in the Law
Gwen J. Zittoun and Amber N. Sarno have been named “New Leaders in the Law” by the Connecticut Law Tribune, which honors attorneys under
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Connecticut Supreme Court Issues Decision in Munn v. Hotchkiss
On Friday, the Connecticut Supreme Court issued its long-awaited ruling in Munn v. Hotchkiss School, the case involving a private school student who contracted tick-borne encephalitis on a school-sponsored trip to China. In its ruling, the Supreme Court found unanimously that 1) the state’s public policy supports imposing an affirmative duty on schools to warn about and protect against the risk of insect-borne diseases and 2) an award of $41.5 million for the breach of that duty fell within the limits of just compensation.
Cara Munn was a 15-year-old student who participated in a school-sponsored trip to China in 2007. The itinerary for this trip included a visit to Mount Pan, located in a forested region of northeast China. Upon descending the mountain on foot, the student suffered several insect bites, and ten days later, began to experience symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis. Though her condition subsequently stabilized, the student suffered permanent brain damage and has lost the ability to speak and has limited control of her facial muscles. The student and her family sued the school for negligence. Following a 2013 jury trial, a federal district court in Bridgeport found the school negligent for failing to warn the student and her parents about the remote possibility of insect-borne diseases and ordered the school to pay $41.5 million in damages—$31.5 million of which was for non-economic damages such as pain and suffering. The school appealed. In August 2015, the Second Circuit found that the student’s injuries were foreseeable; however, the court requested guidance from the Connecticut Supreme Court on two specific issues: 1) whether state public policy imposed a legal duty on schools “to warn or protect against the foreseeable risk of a serious insect-borne disease when organizing a trip abroad and, if so, 2) whether the jury’s damages award, particularly the noneconomic portion, warranted [vacation of or reduction in the jury’s damages award].”
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