Claims Journal

Most Alaska Wildland Fire Crews Fighting Blazes Beyond State

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Most of Alaska’s wildland fire crews are helping fight fires in the continental U.S., including western blazes that have triggered evacuations of thousands of people, officials said. U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Beth...

Posted: Sep 09, 2020

As California Burns, the Winds Arrive and the Lights Go Out

SHAVER LAKE, Calif. — Wildfires churned through bone-dry California on Tuesday after a scorching Labor Day weekend that saw a dramatic airlift of more than 200 people trapped by flames and ended with the state’s largest utility turning off power …

Posted: Sep 09, 2020

Appellate Court Revives Medicare Secondary Payer Act Suits by Collection Agents

A federal appellate panel’s ruling opens the floodgates for hundreds of lawsuits filed by collection agents that are seeking billions of dollars in double damages from insurance carriers that are accused of failing to pay for care that ended up …

Posted: Sep 09, 2020

Warren Buffett’s Duracell Sues Energizer Over Battery Life Claims

NEW YORK — Duracell, the battery unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc, sued the maker of Energizer batteries on Tuesday, accusing it falsely advertising that its Energizer MAX batteries last up to 50% longer than other alkaline batteries....

Posted: Sep 09, 2020

Fire-Related Power Cuts Spread Outside California for First Time

It’s no longer just California shutting off power in high-risk fire zones. Oregon’s Portland General Electric Co. on Monday temporarily turned off power for about 5,000 customers near Mt. Hood, as California utility giant PG&E Corp. did the same in …

Posted: Sep 08, 2020

Boeing Finds New 787 Flaw, Slows Deliveries for Inspection

Boeing Co. has slowed deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner as crews check for a new manufacturing flaw involving gaps in the horizontal stabilizer, the small wing in the aircraft tail. The company also is inspecting newly built Dreamliners for slight …

Posted: Sep 08, 2020

Suppliers Reluctant to Ship Goods Without Credit Insurance

Gold Medal International is sitting on millions of dollars worth of socks at its North Carolina warehouse that it can’t ship to stores. The reason? The 66-year-old family-owned sock maker can’t get enough credit insurance to cover potential losses if...

Posted: Sep 08, 2020

Sri Lanka Assessing Environment Damage From Oil Tanker Fire

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lanka’s government is sending scientists to determine whether a three-day fire on a giant oil tanker off its coast damaged the marine environment, an official said Monday. Ships and helicopters from Sri Lanka and neighboring...

Posted: Sep 08, 2020

California Avoids Major Power Outages as Wildfires Rage

SHAVER LAKE, Calif. — Rescuers in military helicopters airlifted 207 people to safety over the weekend after an explosive wildfire trapped them in a popular camping area in California’s Sierra National Forest, one of dozens of fires burning amid reco...

Posted: Sep 08, 2020

Michigan Suit Brings Another Loss for Plaintiffs with COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims

Another federal court has dismissed a COVID-19 business interruption lawsuit, finding that a closure order does not constitute a covered “direct physical loss” and that the policy excluded damages caused by viruses anyway. The ruling by the U.S. Dist...

Posted: Sep 08, 2020

Viewpoint: Federal and State Civil Immunity from COVID-19 Lawsuits

Hundreds of COVID-19 lawsuits have been filed across the country and business leaders say liability immunity is necessary in order to protect against abusive and meritless lawsuits. The stakes are high. Big and small businesses alike are targets for...

Posted: Sep 08, 2020

Stolen Impressionist Classic Turns Up at Museum Exhibit

A painting by American artist Robert Spencer, missing since 1995, was recovered after a Pennsylvania art museum included it in an exhibit of impressionist art. Christopher A. Marinello, owner of Art Recovery International, said one of his researchers...

Posted: Sep 08, 2020

Disasters Cause Insurance Double Whammy for Pandemic-Hit Businesses

As insurers brace for an expensive natural-disaster season because of storms and wildfires ravaging parts of the United States, the novel coronavirus is giving them an odd financial break. Many companies that were damaged or evacuated because of natu...

Posted: Sep 04, 2020

Why Some Organizations Are Managing Coronavirus Risk Better Than Others

While few, if any, organizations saw the coronavirus pandemic and all of its death and disruption coming, some were better positioned to deal with it than others. According to risk expert Jim Wetekamp, some organizations were better prepared to respo...

Posted: Sep 04, 2020

Study: Electronics Could Stop 40% of Big Truck Rear Crashes

DETROIT — Safety features such as automatic emergency braking and forward collision warnings could prevent more than 40% of crashes in which semis rear-end other vehicles, a new study has found. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research...

Posted: Sep 04, 2020

Tyson Foods to Open Medical Clinics at Some Meat Plants

OMAHA, Neb. — Tyson Foods is planning to open medical clinics at several of its U.S. plants to improve the health of its workers and better protect them from the coronavirus. The Springdale, Arkansas-based company, which processes about 20% of …

Posted: Sep 04, 2020

Hyundai, Kia Recall Vehicles For Leaks That Can Cause Fires

DETROIT — Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are recalling over 591,000 vehicles in the U.S. to fix a brake fluid leak that could cause engine fires. The recalls cover more than 440,000 Kia Optima midsize sedans from 2013 through 2015 …

Posted: Sep 04, 2020

Viewpoint: Does Denial of Access to Customers Constitute Covered Damage?

COVID-19 has forced the suspension of thousands of businesses, resulting in widespread economic loss. Many of the businesses that have survived are looking to their insurers to cover their losses. While Covid-19 is a virus, the economic loss sustaine...

Posted: Sep 04, 2020

Blaze Breaks Out Again on Oil Tanker Off Sri Lanka, Cargo Area Intact

COLOMBO/NEW DELHI — A new fire broke out on a supertanker carrying about 2 million barrels of oil in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of Sri Lanka, spokesmen for the country’s navy said on Thursday, adding that one …

Posted: Sep 04, 2020

Seattle Calls $650 Million PCB Settlement a ‘Gift’ for Bayer

Seattle scoffed at the $650 million Bayer AG agreed to pay to settle class-action claims by about 2,500 cities, counties and ports over pollution from polychlorinated biphenyl, or PCB, saying it plans to opt out of the deal. According to …

Posted: Sep 04, 2020

Worst-Ever Arctic Fires Released Record Amount of CO2

The Arctic has experienced the worst fire season on record for the second year in a row, with giant wildfires sending over one third more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than last year. Fires raging across the Arctic Circle emitted …

Posted: Sep 03, 2020

Insurance a Major Factor in Law Enforcement Civil Rights Settlements

Municipalities, their insurers and risk pools should be heeding the current public re-examination of police and prosecutorial actions taking place across the country, according to an insurance policyholder attorney who works on civil rights cases. At...

Posted: Sep 03, 2020

Revised Weinstein Settlement Draws Opposition at Court Hearing

WILMINGTON, Del. — Lawyers for Harvey Weinstein’s bankrupt film studio on Wednesday presented a revised proposal to settle sexual misconduct claims against the disgraced former producer, but an attorney for accusers pledged to oppose the plan. The $3...

Posted: Sep 03, 2020

Brazil Prosecutors Ask Court to Remove Vale Managers Over Safety Concerns

RIO DE JANEIRO — Federal prosecutors in Brazil’s Minas Gerais state are seeking a court order for miner Vale SA to replace executives they accuse of disregarding safety methods in the aftermath of two deadly mining disasters. They have asked …

Posted: Sep 03, 2020

Airline Crews Report Jetpack Flier Near Los Angeles Airport

LOS ANGELES — The Federal Aviation Administration and the FBI said Tuesday they are investigating reports from airline pilots that someone was flying in a jetpack as they approached Los Angeles International Airport to land last weekend. “Two airline...

Posted: Sep 03, 2020