Claims Journal

Agency Opens Probe Into 115,000 Tesla Vehicles Over Suspension Issue

WASHINGTON –The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on Friday said it had opened a formal investigation into around 115,0000 Tesla vehicles over a front suspension safety issue. The auto safety regulator said it was opening a...

Posted: Dec 01, 2020

Insurers Win Most — But Not All — Covid Business-Loss Lawsuits

In the multibillion-dollar fight over insurance coverage for pandemic-related business losses, a Florida gynecologist succeeded where more than a dozen professional baseball teams and an iconic Hollywood restaurant failed. Since Covid-19 sparked gove...

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

Tornado Causes Damage, Injuries In Dallas Suburb

ARLINGTON, Texas — A tornado swept through parts of the Dallas-area city of Arlington, damaging several apartment complexes and other buildings, displacing 75 families and causing minor injuries to three people, officials said Wednesday. The Arlingto...

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

Thousands Comment on Proposed Mississippi Pump Project

VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) _ The Army Corps of Engineers says thousands of people have sent comments about a proposal for huge pumps to drain floodwaters from parts of the rural Mississippi Delta. They represent a wide range of viewpoints, Vicksburg …

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

Hyundai, Kia Fined for Delaying U.S. Engine Failure Recalls

Hyundai and Kia must pay $137 million in fines and safety improvements because they moved too slowly to recall over 1 million vehicles with engines that can fail. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the penalties on Friday. T...

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

Nevada Wildfire Victims Share Varied Stories

RENO, Nev. — With a wind-whipped wildfire roaring through a Reno neighborhood, David Howton sprang into action with a garden hose and was lucky to save his home. About a mile away, Scott and Mimi O’Brien weren’t so lucky. The …

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

Plan Released to Reduce Massive Wildfires in US West

BOISE, Idaho — U.S. officials on Friday released an overarching plan for removing or changing vegetation over a huge swath of the U.S. West to stop devastating wildfires on land used for cattle ranching, recreation and habitat for imperiled sage …

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

Repairs Ongoing to Iowa Streetlights Damaged by August Storm

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Months after a derecho tore through Iowa, thousands of streetlights still need to be repaired in the Cedar Rapids area. Mayuri Farlinger, the director of operations for Alliant Energy in the region, did not have an …

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

Viewpoint: Early Warning Systems Can Help Insurers Avoid Costly Hidden Hazards

The adage that “you can’t judge a book by its cover” holds especially true when it comes to evaluating commercial property in a field survey. Buildings that appear reasonably maintained from the outside can contain such hazards as water-damaged ceili...

Posted: Nov 30, 2020

Southern California Could Have Cold Turkey From Power Shutoffs

Dry, gusty winds have raised a critical fire threat, prompting Edison International to threaten to cut power to more than 76,000 Southern California homes and businesses just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. A weather front that’s rushing south...

Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Hurricanes Eta, Iota Hit Nicaragua With $743 Million In Economic Losses

Nicaragua suffered more than $740 million in damage from Hurricanes Eta and Iota, the government said on Tuesday, as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) promised $1.7 billion in aid for millions of people affected across Central America. Nearly...

Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Catch-All Travel Insurance Booms as U.S. Flyers Take Thanksgiving Risks

U.S. websites have seen a surge in travelers seeking expensive ironclad insurance this Thanksgiving, as Americans desperate to break the monotony of a year spent at home look to cover themselves against coronavirus-related risks. Data from insurance...

Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Tesla Issues Two Recalls Covering 9,500 U.S. Vehicles – NHTSA

Tesla Inc is issuing two recalls covering about 9,500 vehicles for roof trim that may separate and bolts that may not have been properly tightened. The larger recall covers 9,136 Model X cars from the 2016 model year, the National …

Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Family of Man Shot by Georgia Trooper to Sue State for Money

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Relatives of man who was shot to death by a Georgia state trooper now charged with murder plan to sue the state for wrongful death. Lawyers for family members of Julian Lewis filed notice Monday in federal …

Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Drones to the Rescue: Berlin Lab Seeks Quicker Virus Tests

BERLIN — A German lab is hoping to cut the time it takes to send coronavirus tests across Berlin by using drones, thereby avoiding the capital’s clogged roads. California-based company Matternet is currently testing drone deliveries between a hospita...

Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Coastal Harm From Invading Saltwater ‘Happening Right Now’

The landward movement of seawater threatens drinking water supplies, coastal farming and coastal ecosystems. Rising seas, more frequent storms, higher tides, drought and the pressure of pumping for drinking water are combining to accelerate the salt...

Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Carrier Loans Money to Claimant for Damages, Collects from Negligence Suit Against Broker

A California appellate court ruled that an insurance brokerage owes its client $461,795.24 for malfeasance in litigation that was financed by an insurer against its own producer, involving damages to a house owned by a church that was intended to …

Posted: Nov 25, 2020

Carnival’s Princess Unable to Dodge Passengers’ Covid Suit

Carnival Corp.’s Princess Cruise Lines Ltd. failed to persuade a judge to dismiss negligence claims by 17 passengers who allege they suffered Covid-19 symptoms after being exposed to the coronavirus on a February voyage. Monday’s ruling doesn’t addre...

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Meatpacking Link Found in Up to 8% of Early U.S. Covid Cases

As many as one in 12 cases of Covid-19 in the early stage of the pandemic in the U.S. can be tied to outbreaks at meatpacking plants and subsequent spread in surrounding communities, according to a study. The findings highlight …

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Boeing 737 MAX Jets Undergo Round-The-Clock Effort to Clear Inventory

MOSES LAKE, Wash. — The future of Boeing Co’s freshly approved 737 MAX is in the hands of nearly 700 workers toiling behind the gray doors of a three-bay hangar at a desert airport in Washington state. Inside, over an …

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Alaska Airlines Leases 13 Boeing 737 MAX Jets After Ungrounding

Alaska Air Group Inc said on Monday it would lease 13 new Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes from aircraft lessor Air Lease Corp, handing its traditional jet supplier a boost less than a week after Boeing won U.S. approval to …

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Revolutionary War Monument, Damaged by Derecho, Back on Pedestal

SPRINGVILLE, Iowa — A deteriorating Revolutionary War monument, which was damaged even more in the Aug. 10 derecho, has been restored and once again sits on its pedestal in the Springville Cemetery. For six years, local chapters of the Daughters …

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Debris Leaks Out as Salvagers Saw Up Ship On Georgia Coast

BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Debris is washing up from a cargo ship stranded on the Georgia coast as a salvage team cuts it into chunks. The leaks are not unexpected as salvagers demolish the Golden Ray, a South Korean ship that …

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Jury Duty? No Thanks, Say Many, Forcing Trials to be Delayed

HARTFORD, Conn. — Jury duty notices have set Nicholas Philbrook’s home on edge with worries about him contracting the coronavirus and passing it on to his father-in-law, a cancer survivor with diabetes in his mid-70s who is at higher risk …

Posted: Nov 24, 2020

Pipeline Owner Held Liable for Economic Damages Caused by Oil Spill

An energy company whose criminal negligence caused an oil spill that soiled California beaches cannot escape liability for the damages it caused just because it is designated as a public utility, a California appellate court ruled in a split decision...

Posted: Nov 24, 2020