Claims Journal

Senate Bill Would Grant Broad Coronavirus Liability Shield to Employers

Senate Republicans are drafting legislation that would let employers choose which government coronavirus safety guidelines to follow in order to be shielded from lawsuits if their customers or workers contract the virus, GOP Senator John Cornyn said...

Posted: Jun 11, 2020

California School Districts, Lawyers Gearing Up to Fight JUUL in Lawsuits

A national coalition of law firms has filed suit on behalf of the Pomona Unified School District against JUUL Labs Inc. for its role in creating an e-cigarette epidemic and resurgence in youth nicotine addiction that impedes the learning environments...

Posted: Jun 11, 2020

Global Insurers in Epicenter of COVID-19 Crisis in Uncharted Territory

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal locked in spell-binding battle. Paul McCartney sharing a stage with Kendrick Lamar and Taylor Swift. The long-awaited 32nd Olympic Games. The list of canned crowd-thrillers that were planned for the coming weeks isn’t j...

Posted: Jun 11, 2020

Measuring the Moment: How Will George Floyd’s Death Matter to Insurance Industry?

The marches and protests across the globe sparked by the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police are presenting the country with opportunities to confront the racism and inequality that African-Americans confront every day. As executive director...

Posted: Jun 11, 2020

Florida Supreme Court Suspends Attorney Behind Thousands of Insurer Lawsuits

The Florida Supreme Court has granted an emergency request by the Florida bar to immediately suspend an attorney who, with his firm, has filed thousands of assignment of benefit and first party lawsuits against Florida property insurers over the last...

Posted: Jun 11, 2020

Minneapolis Reform Recommendations Include Police Liability Insurance Mandate

Several advocacy groups presented their own recommendations to reform law enforcement practices in Minneapolis, a day after the majority of the City Council voiced support for abolishing the police department entirely in the wake of George Floyd’s de...

Posted: Jun 10, 2020

Dam Failures Cause $200M in Damage; Michigan Seeks Disaster Declaration

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is requesting a federal disaster declaration for the Midland area, where a failure of two dams destroyed 150 houses and caused more than $200 million in damage. Under a disaster declaration, Whitmer said she hopes to …

Posted: Jun 10, 2020

Oil & Gas Companies Seek More Insurance for Claims Linked to Bankruptcies

The U.S. oil and gas industry is paying a hefty price to protect its top brass against potential bankruptcy and investor lawsuits. Oil companies are shelling out as much as 75% more to renew insurance liability coverage for directors and …

Posted: Jun 10, 2020

Insured Losses from Storm Cristobal Estimated at $150 Million

Catastrophe modeling firm Karen Clark & Company (KCC) said on Wednesday it expects insured losses of close to $150 million from tropical storm Cristobal. Cristobal is the third named storm to form and impact the United States coast during this …

Posted: Jun 10, 2020

Chief Risk Officers Believe U.S. Coronavirus Losses Could Top S&P’s $15-$30B Estimate

Analysts for Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings shared a view that U.S. underwriting losses from COVID-19 would fall in the $15-$30 billion range. However, risk officers speaking at a rating agency conference last week said the estimate is light. S&P …

Posted: Jun 10, 2020

Sick Workers Frustrated by Amazon’s Automated In-House HR

Tony Banks told Amazon.com Inc. right away when he tested positive for Covid-19. More than a month later, he’s on the mend, but struggling with fatigue and shortness of breath that makes most physical activity feel like he’s just sprinted …

Posted: Jun 10, 2020

After 2019 Floods, Boaters Welcome ‘Peace’ of Missouri River

The sunsets are still there. So are the eagles. And the deer. Now, with access to the Missouri River mostly open in the Omaha metro area, the boaters, birders, anglers and nature lovers are back, too. The reopening of Omaha’s …

Posted: Jun 10, 2020

U.S. Safety Board Says Current Air Cargo Safety Rules for Lithium Batteries Pose Danger

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Monday urged strengthening air cargo shipping requirements for prototype and low-production lithium-ion batteries after a 2016 FedEx delivery truck fire in Canada. NTSB official Robert J. Hall s...

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

Chief Risk Officers Believe U.S. Coronavirus Losses Will Top S&P’s $15-$30B Estimate

Analysts for Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings shared a view that U.S. underwriting losses from COVID-19 would fall in the $15-$30 billion range. However, risk officers speaking at a rating agency conference last week said the estimate is light. S&P …

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

Claims Startup Betterview Attracts $7.5M in Financing Round From Guidewire, Others

Startup Betterview raised $7.5 million in new funding to fuel expansion of its artificial intelligence technology that helps property/casualty insurance carriers spot and manage property risk. Guidewire Software led the round, which brings the insurt...

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

Court Blocks U.S. Sale of Dicamba-Based Herbicide by Bayer, Rivals

A U.S. appeals court has blocked Bayer AG from selling an agricultural weed killer in the United States, the latest setback for a business already fighting an expensive legal battle over another product. A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. …

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

Texas Officials Prepare for Hurricane Season as Pandemic Threat Continues

More hurricanes and tropical storms than usual could make landfall in the United States this summer, forecasters predict. That is sending Texans and officials who are increasingly facing severe weather events scrambling to prepare for another natural...

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

Global Restrictions Substantially Slowed Coronavirus Spread, Research Says

New research shows that the restrictive measures taken around the world to slow the spread of the coronavirus have delivered considerable health benefits. Public health measures including social distancing and lockdowns have prevented more than 500 m...

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

The Case of the $50,000 Table

Furniture styles have been around from, at least, the beginning of recorded history. From stone “chairs” dating back to the Neolithic Period, early ancient civilizations like Egypt and Greece through modern times, differing materials, and different s...

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

Army Corps Has $4.6B Plan to Protect Miami From Flooding

The federal government is proposing a $4.6 billion plan to protect the low-lying Miami area from the effects of climate change, including the construction of miles of sea walls. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a draft plan last …

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

Business News: Guy Carpenter and Synthetik, Jopari, Sapiens and Clara Analytics

Guy Carpenter Using Synthetik to Model Terrorism Risk Guy Carpenter & Co. says it has entered into “an exclusive multi-year agreement” with Synthetik Applied Technologies to enhance its proprietary terrorism modeling product, Sunstone. Synthetik is a...

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

Autonomous Vehicle Firms Dispute Insurance Study’s Low Estimate of Crash Prevention

Companies working on self-driving vehicles have criticized an insurance industry study suggesting that only a third of all U.S. road crashes could be prevented by driverless cars, arguing that the study has underestimated the technology’s capabilitie...

Posted: Jun 09, 2020

Grand Rapids Pegs Property Damage from Protests at $448,000

Officials in a western Michigan city are estimating $448,000 in damage was caused during protests over the death of George Floyd that turned violent last weekend. The estimate by Grand Rapids is preliminary and is for damage to public and …

Posted: Jun 08, 2020

Coronavirus Lockdowns Substantially Slowed the Pandemic, Research Says

New research shows that the restrictive measures taken around the world to slow the spread of the coronavirus have delivered considerable health benefits. Public health measures including social distancing and lockdowns have prevented more than 500 m...

Posted: Jun 08, 2020

Lawsuit Alleges $100M Katrina Aid Fraud by New Orleans Universities, Archdiocese

Two New Orleans universities, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans and a government contractor are defendants in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging fraud involving more than $100 million in Hurricane Katrina aid. The 2016 federal lawsuit was u...

Posted: Jun 08, 2020