Claims Journal

Iowa Supreme Court Finds Gross Negligence Not Always an Intentional Act

The Iowa Supreme Court cleared the way for a federal lawsuit against an amusement park to proceed, reversing a district court ruling that a ride operator’s fatal actions were so reckless that they amounted to an intentional act. If Stephen …

Posted: Jun 08, 2020

9 Firefighters Injured Responding to Ship Explosion in Florida

Nine firefighters responding to a fire aboard a ship in Florida have been hospitalized after the ship exploded, injuring eight and sending one to a hospital for heat exhaustion, authorities said. The explosion occurred nearly three hours after firefi...

Posted: Jun 08, 2020

Court Backs New Jersey Law Giving Sex Abuse Victims More Time to Sue

A Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of a New Jersey statute that gives victims of sexual abuse more time to sue. The 2019 law waived the statute of limitations and allowed victims to file civil suits until they …

Posted: Jun 08, 2020

AIG’s No. 2 Is Fighting to Turn Around the House That Hank Built

American International Group Inc.’s Peter Zaffino drew a clear line ahead of his jump to the insurer almost three years ago. “I didn’t want any advice,” Zaffino, AIG’s president, said in a rare sit-down interview. “I needed to see things …

Posted: Jun 05, 2020

Epidemic of Wipes and Masks Plague Sewers, Storm Drains

PHILADELPHIA — Mayor Jim Kenney kicked off a recent briefing on Philadelphia’s coronavirus response with an unusual request for residents: Be careful what you flush. Between mid-March, when the city’s stay-at-home order was issued, and the end of Apr...

Posted: Jun 05, 2020

Colorado Resort Files Lawsuit Against Railroad for 2018 Fire

DURANGO, Colo. — An insurance company representing a Colorado resort filed a lawsuit against the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad for damage costs associated with an extended wildfire. Purgatory Resort’s insurance provider submitted the clai...

Posted: Jun 05, 2020

Republican Lawmakers Add Mistake in Signature Business Bill

BATON ROUGE, La. — After a last-minute scramble to pass the business lobby’s top priority for the regular session, Republican legislators quickly realized they mangled the language of the bill aimed at limiting damage claims against insurance compani...

Posted: Jun 05, 2020

Shell, Murphy evacuating Non-Essential Workers From U.S. Gulf Due to Storm

Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Murphy Oil Corp began evacuating non-essential workers from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Thursday because of the threat from Tropical Storm Cristobal. Shell said its production and drilling operations in the U.S.-regulated nor...

Posted: Jun 05, 2020

Shell, Murphy Evacuating Non-Essential Workers From U.S. Gulf Due to Storm

Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Murphy Oil Corp began evacuating non-essential workers from the U.S. Gulf of Mexico on Thursday because of the threat from Tropical Storm Cristobal. Shell said its production and drilling operations in the U.S.-regulated nor...

Posted: Jun 05, 2020

Oil Refineries, Offshore Drillers Face Hurricane Challenges Amid Pandemic

HOUSTON — As oil and gas companies began shutting offshore production before the first tropical storm of the season in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, experts said restarting wells and refineries will take longer and prove more costly this year …

Posted: Jun 05, 2020

Bargain-Conscious Americans Lift Used-Car Sales in the Coronavirus Economy

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — At the height of the , in mid-April, used-car dealer Alex Tovstanovsky had vehicles jammed six rows deep on his lot in the western Chicago suburb of Naperville. But the seeming oversupply was not a mistake. Despite …

Posted: Jun 05, 2020

Share of Auto Claims Using Photo Estimates Doubles During the Pandemic

Social distancing has been a boon for the use of photo estimates after auto collisions. CCC Information Services said that the share of claims processed through its Quick Estimate product increased 125 percent from January to April. “Based on our …

Posted: Jun 05, 2020

Cristobal Seen Regaining Strength After Storm’s Pass Over Mexico

The hills of the Yucatan Peninsula sapped Tropical Storm Cristobal of some of its power on Thursday, but forecasters warn it will likely gain strength as it heads north across the Gulf of Mexico to the U.S coast, where it …

Posted: Jun 04, 2020

Pilgrim’s Pride CEO Indicted Over Alleged U.S. Chicken Price-Fixing

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO — The chief executive of Pilgrim’s Pride Corp, a major U.S. poultry company, was indicted along with three other current and former industry executives on charges of seeking to fix the price of chickens, the Justice Department said...

Posted: Jun 04, 2020

Unrest After George Floyd Death Reminds Insurers of 1968 Uprising

Scenes that played out over the past few days in several East region states are serving as a stark reminder for the insurance industry of civil unrest that took place in New York and other U.S. states more than 50 …

Posted: Jun 04, 2020

Institute Says Self-Driving Cars Could Prevent Only a Third of U.S. Crashes

Self-driving cars, long touted by developers as a way to eliminate road deaths, could likely only prevent a third of all U.S. road crashes, an analysis of traffic accidents released on Thursday has found. The study by the Insurance Institute …

Posted: Jun 04, 2020

‘Eyes Are on You:’ Minneapolis Neighbors Band to Stand Guard

MINNEAPOLIS — The two men stepped from the shadows as the car turned off an upscale shopping street into a residential area located on the far edge of the rioting that swept through Minneapolis. It was after midnight. A pair …

Posted: Jun 04, 2020

Some Residents of Queen Valley Evacuated by Growing Wildfire

QUEEN VALLEY, Ariz. — An evacuation order was issued Tuesday for some residents of Queen Valley east of Phoenix as crews continued to battle a lightning-caused wildfire. Tonto National Forest officials said the fire had burned nearly 33 square miles...

Posted: Jun 04, 2020

Amazon is Sued Over Warehouses After New York Worker Brings Coronavirus Home, Cousin Dies

NEW YORK — Amazon.com Inc has been sued for allegedly fostering the spread of the coronavirus by mandating unsafe working conditions, causing at least one employee to contract COVID-19, bring it home, and see her cousin die. The complaint was …

Posted: Jun 04, 2020

Pace of COVID-19 Claims in Calif. Slower than Projected So Far

California workers had filed 5,093 COVID-19 workers’ compensation claims as of Tuesday, according to the state Department of Industrial Relations, a pace that might lead to a lower impact on costs than projected by actuaries. The potential cost of th...

Posted: Jun 04, 2020

Amazon Delivery Drivers Say They Fear Becoming Target of Looters

An Amazon.com Inc. delivery driver in Long Island, New York, was told to abandon his van and call 911 in the event of looting and avoid “high crime” areas. A driver in Chicago encountered a heavy police presence and road …

Posted: Jun 03, 2020

Viewpoint: Empty Roads Should Be Safer. They’re Not.

Almost three months into the coronavirus crisis finds U.S. highways with just a fraction of their pre-pandemic traffic. It would be natural to assume that should make driving safer, at least until the country is fully opened. But if anything, …

Posted: Jun 03, 2020

As Asia’s Tropical Storm Season Arrives, Grounded Airplanes at Risk of Damage

SYDNEY/TAIPEI — Airlines, airports and insurers across Asia are bracing for the prospect of unusually high damage as the region’s tropical storm season begins, as hundreds of aircraft grounded by the coronavirus pandemic can’t be moved easily. Major...

Posted: Jun 03, 2020

Virus-Tracking App Angers Thousands in Moscow With Fines

MOSCOW — When nurse Maria Alexeyeva caught coronavirus at work, she isolated herself at home and followed the rules set down by Moscow authorities: She checked in with doctors regularly, didn’t leave her apartment and downloaded a smartphone app requ...

Posted: Jun 03, 2020

US Cities Erupt in More Violence Amid Threats From Trump

WASHINGTON — American cities erupted in violence and destruction in a seventh straight night of unrest, with several police officers shot or run over, amid boasts and threats from President Donald Trump to send in troops to “dominate the streets.” …

Posted: Jun 03, 2020