Business Insurance

New Louisiana law protects schools from COVID-19 lawsuits

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday signed into law a bill that provides schools with immunity from COVID-19-related litigation.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Firefighter’s additional pain not compensable

A volunteer firefighter who suffered “severe” multiple injuries when a branch fell on him as he was cutting down a tree to gain access to a fire cannot add additional pain to his four-year-old workers compensation claim, the Supreme Court of Appeals...

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Chicken processor denied review over OSHA citations

A chicken processor failed to convince a circuit court to overturn several workplace safety citations leveled against it by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Mechanic fails to show injury happened at work

A mechanic failed to show his shoulder injury occurred on the job, a West Virginia appellate court held Thursday.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Pharmacy execs tied to deadly meningitis outbreak lose appeals

A federal appeals court on Thursday cleared the way for prosecutors to seek longer prison sentences for a founder and supervisory pharmacist of a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy whose tainted drugs sparked a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak in 20...

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

The BI Top 10: Week of July 6, 2020

COVID-19’s impact on July 1 renewal rates across commercial lines generated considerable interest this week. So, too, did coverage of coronavirus-related litigation.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Insurers launch products for some pandemic risks

Insurers are creating products for a world where virus outbreaks could become the new normal after many businesses were left out in the cold during the COVID-19 crisis.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

CEO, director charged over gas leak in India

LG Polymers India Pvt. Ltd.'s chief executive Sunkey Jeong and director D S Kim have been charged for the gas leak at a chemical plant in Visakhapatnam on May 7, which led to the death of 15 people and sickening of more than 5,000 others.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Oil firm on hook for damage costing$160 million

Brazilian authorities have said that petrochemical firm Braskem SA's former salt mining operation has caused geological damage in a wider area than previously identified and can cost an additional 850 million Brazilian real ($160 million).

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Aviva Ireland's general insurance CEO sues insurer

John Quinlan, chief executive of Aviva Group Ireland PLC's general insurance unit, has sued the insurer amid speculations that Aviva is lining up a replacement for him.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Romanian broker's premiums rise more than 10%

Romania-based Globasig Insurance and Reinsurance Broker SRL's premiums increased more than 10% year-over-year to nearly 42 million Romanian lei ($10 million) in the first half of this year.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Premiums grow nearly 13% in Russia

Data from the Central Bank of Russia showed that local insurers' gross written premiums grew 12.6% year-on-year to 426.3 billion Russian rubles ($6 billion) in the first quarter of this year.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Regulator studies forming pandemic risk pool

The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India has set up a panel to study the feasibility of forming a pool to address the risks arising out of a pandemic.

Posted: Jul 10, 2020

Warehouse management firm partially at fault for injury: Court

A warehouse management company failed to show that it was covered by the exclusivity provision of New York’s Workers Compensation Act in a lawsuit filed by a man who was injured on its premises.

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Restaurant sues Nationwide over business interruption cover

Chez Panisse has filed suit against a Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. unit for its refusal to pay business interruption expenses in connection with the pandemic.

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Appeals court overturns bond ruling in favor of Hanover unit

A federal appeals court overturned a ruling in favor of a Hanover Insurance Group unit in a dispute over a bond, ruling the lower court’s decision was premature.

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Family denied deceased worker’s benefits over award language

The wife and two children of a disabled worker who later died cannot collect permanent total disability benefits that had previously been awarded to him because they were not named as dependents when he suffered a workplace injury in 2005, a divided...

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Most commercial prices increase in Q2: Ivans

Commercial lines of business posted increased average premium renewal rates across nearly all major lines of business except for workers compensation in the second quarter, according to a report issued Thursday by insurance exchange Ivans Insurance S...

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Severe June weather causes extensive damage: Aon

Severe weather during June in the U.S. Midwest, Plains and Southeast caused more than $2 billion in total damage, while powerful thunderstorms with large hail accounted for one of Canada’s worst-ever weather losses at more than $1 billion, brokerage...

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Nonprofits urge Johnson & Johnson to halt Baby Powder sales

More than 170 nonprofit groups on Wednesday called for Johnson & Johnson to stop selling its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder worldwide, citing concerns that it contains cancer-causing asbestos, according to a statement from advocacy group Black Wome...

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Chubb wants US to offer businesses pandemic cover

Chubb Ltd. said on Wednesday it is lobbying the U.S. government to insure businesses for losses in future pandemics, while giving the insurance industry a small portion of the business, jumping into a debate over how to insure such disasters.

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

VW can face dieselgate claims where cars bought: EU court

EU consumers should be able to sue Volkswagen in their national courts if they have bought cars with emission cheat devices installed, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on Thursday.

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Prominent plaintiffs' firms sought bailout to stay afloat

Several prominent plaintiffs' law firms, known for striking large settlements with companies like German carmaker Volkswagen AG and Equifax Inc., were approved for loans that totaled tens of millions of dollars in government aid meant to help small b...

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Insurance sector positioned to withstand COVID hit: Swiss Re

The insurance industry is likely to recover from the impact of COVID-19 as total premiums written return to pre-pandemic levels in 2021, according to a report from Swiss Re Ltd. on Thursday.

Posted: Jul 09, 2020

Insurers curb coverage, hike rates for strained senior care market

The coronavirus pandemic has made it even harder for senior-care centers in the United States to find or afford standard liability insurance, with rates soaring by as much as 300%, insurance brokers said.

Posted: Jul 09, 2020