The Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that the legislature’s diversion of oil and gas royalties from public lands to the general fund for non-conservation purposes violated the state constitution. In 1955, the legislature created an oil and gas lease fund, and required all rents and royalties from o...

The Second Circuit, in a summary order, affirmed a lower court decision that an insurance company has no duty to defend a plumbing company in an underlying state suit related to chemical contamination at Love Canal near Niagara Falls, New York. The allegations in the state action fall within the ins...