Morrison Mahoney Partner and Co-Chair of the firm’s Professional Practices Group Steve Bolotin was interviewed by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly regarding the Appeals Court ruling in Perreault v. AIS Affinity Insurance Agency of New England, Inc. The case addressed the scope of the duty owed by an insurance broker, an issue which Steve has litigated extensively on behalf of insurance professionals before the trial and appellate courts.
Quoting Attorney Bolotin extensively, the article “Insurance broker owes no duty to lawyer, panel rules” by Kris Olson, stated that “Perreault is helpful for the way in which the Appeals Court decision walks through the various cases over the years in which a plaintiff’s attorney has tried to ‘push the envelope’ unsuccessfully. Litigants have discovered that neither the mere length of the relationship between customer and broker, nor asking for the ‘best coverage possible,’ will get the plaintiff over the hurdle.”
As Attorney Bolotin noted, the ruling in Perrault was not a statement of new law, but rather “a helpful restatement of existing law on the role of insurance agents and brokers,” which is “consistently misunderstood.” Attorney Bolotin went on to indicate that the ruling was particularly timely case given changes in the nature of the relationship between insureds and their brokers resulting from the development of the direct insurance market in Massachusetts.
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