Claims Journal

PG&E Fire Victims Warn Market Turmoil Endangers Their Settlement

Market turmoil from the coronavirus is spilling into the bankruptcy of California power giant PG&E Corp. Victims of wildfires blamed on PG&E’s equipment are concerned the sell-off on Wall Street could hobble stock payments that make up half of a …

Posted: Mar 26, 2020

Native American Casino Owner Sues Lloyd’s, AIG Over Coronavirus Losses

A Native American tribe on Tuesday sued a group of insurance companies, asking a court to declare that losses it is incurring from shutting down its casinos during the coronavirus pandemic are covered by insurance. Among the defendants named in …

Posted: Mar 25, 2020

The Pandemic Has Started Weakening the World’s Weather Forecasts

The pandemic that has idled scores of commercial flights is having a little-noticed consequence for meteorologists, whose forecasts rely in part on data collected from planes. That means a crucial eye in the sky has weakened just as spring flood …

Posted: Mar 25, 2020

Two Fiat Chrysler Workers Die After Positive Virus Tests

Two workers at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV factories who tested positive for the coronavirus have died, according to the United Auto Workers union. One of the employees worked at Fiat Chrysler’s truck assembly plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, an...

Posted: Mar 25, 2020

Vital But Vulnerable, Cleaners Hold the Line Against a Virus

NEW YORK — When hospitals need to prep a room for the next coronavirus test, when jetliners discharge their passengers at the gate, when suburbanites start to take sanitary precautions more seriously, the call goes out: Send in the cleaners. …

Posted: Mar 25, 2020

Louisiana Flood Victims Owed Over $300 Million Sue State

BATON ROUGE, La. — A group of Louisiana flood victims who have been owed over $300 million for the past decade have filed a lawsuit against the state for failure to pay. The Advocate reports that Tangipahoa Parish home and …

Posted: Mar 25, 2020

Utah Residents Still Reporting Damage Days After Earthquake

SALT LAKE CITY — Five days after a magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook parts of Utah, residents continue to report damage. The Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District asked those within its boundaries to submit online notices of home or business …

Posted: Mar 25, 2020

Insurer Paid Claim to Avoid Bad Faith; Reimbursed Because of Misrepresentation

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals endorsed a clever way for an insurer to avoid a bad faith claim where there were potential misrepresentations in the policy application. In Evanston Insurance Company v. Aminokit Labs, Inc., the court affirmed a …

Posted: Mar 25, 2020

Business News: Amerisure, MedRisk and Crawford & Co.

Amerisure Launches Usage-Based Commercial Auto Coverage Amerisure, a proper and casualty carrier based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, has teamed up with Insurance & Mobility Solutions to launch a fleet usage-based insurance program to Michigan motor...

Posted: Mar 25, 2020

Honolulu Building Owners Locked in Tense Renovation Dispute

HONOLULU — The owners of adjacent Honolulu buildings are embroiled in a dispute over renovation work that has involved alleged property damage, personal safety hazards and a requested court injunction. A vacant, 12-story tower nicknamed the “pimple b...

Posted: Mar 24, 2020

Public Adjuster Arrested on Charges of Stealing From Hurricane Victim

ATLANTA — A public was charged with stealing more than $215,000 in insurance money from a Georgia business damaged by Hurricane Michael, authorities said. Steven Eric Chastain is accused of stealing insurance checks from a business in Albany, Georgia...

Posted: Mar 24, 2020

Virus Fight Insurers Thought They’d Dodged Is Looming Anyway

For years, property-casualty insurers have sought to protect their business from the ripple effects of a pandemic. The spread of the coronavirus is showing it may not be easy. At issue are business-interruption policies, which tend to pay out only …

Posted: Mar 24, 2020

North America’s Best Restaurant Remains Open in AMLO’s Mexico

Finding a table at Mexico City’s exclusive Pujol restaurant has never been easier. Chef Enrique Olvera’s famous restaurant is still open for business amid the coronavirus pandemic, mainly because the Mexican government hasn’t said it should close. Us...

Posted: Mar 24, 2020

Beazley: Ransomware Attacks Increasingly Paired With Data Breach

Ransomware attacks became both more frequent and more brutal in 2019, according to a new report by speciality insurer Beazley. Beazley said its Breach Response Services unit saw a 131 percent increase in ransomware incidents last year. What’s more, a...

Posted: Mar 24, 2020

Viewpoint: Why Insurers Should Care About Protecting Tow Operators From COVID-19

When an accident occurs, the first in-person contact a customer will have with an insurer is probably from a tow operator. But these days, interaction with a tow operator through one’s insurer happens a lot more often now that nearly …

Posted: Mar 24, 2020

Public Pressure Growing for Insurers to Be Part of Coronavirus Solution

While legislators in Washington D.C. and states try to fashion financial relief for businesses interrupted by the public health actions related to coronavirus, outside pressure is mounting on private property/casualty commercial insurers to do more t...

Posted: Mar 24, 2020

New Mexico Agencies on Edge Amid Rising Ransomware Attacks

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico school districts, universities, and government agencies have collectively spent millions of dollars to regain control of their computer systems after employees unknowingly opened emails containing an encrypted code that...

Posted: Mar 23, 2020

Western Iowa Community Finds Flood Recovery a Long Process

HORNICK, Iowa — For a year now, every time Bob Nelson hears a flood watch has been issued, he’s up and out the door, no matter the time of day, checking on creeks and the West Fork of the Little …

Posted: Mar 23, 2020

Croatia Quake Injures 17 Amid Partial Coronavirus Lockdown

ZAGREB, Croatia — A strong earthquake in Croatia on Sunday caused panic, the evacuation of hospitals and widespread damage including to the capital’s iconic cathedral — all amid a partial coronavirus lockdown. A 15-year-old was reported to be in crit...

Posted: Mar 23, 2020

PG&E to Plead Guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter for Fire

PG&E Corp. agreed to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection to the deadliest wildfire in California history. The bankrupt utility will pay $4 million in fines for its role in the 2018 Camp Fire, which was sparked by PG&E …

Posted: Mar 23, 2020

States Shielded From Copyright Suits, Supreme Court Rules

The U.S. Supreme Court said copyright owners can’t sue for damages when a state government pilfers their work, ruling against businesses in a case stemming from the wreckage of the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship. The justices on Monday unanimously said...

Posted: Mar 23, 2020

Nigeria Has Chloroquine Poisonings After Trump Praised Drug

Nigeria reported two cases of chloroquine poisoning after U.S. President Donald Trump praised the anti-malaria drug as a treatment for the novel coronavirus. Health officials are warning Nigerians against self-medicating after demand for the drug sur...

Posted: Mar 23, 2020

Locked-Down Lawyers Warned Alexa Is Hearing Confidential Calls

Hey Alexa, stop listening to my client’s information. As law firms urge attorneys to work from home during the global pandemic, their employees’ confidential phone calls with clients run the risk of being heard by Amazon.com Inc. and Google. Mishcon...

Posted: Mar 23, 2020

For Large Companies, Odds Are Even For a Cyberattack This Year

For the the top 250 U.S. firms in terms of revenue, the chance of a data breach in any given year is about the same as the chance a coin will turn up heads when flipped, according to an analysis …

Posted: Mar 23, 2020

Artist Sues Meow Wolf Over Copyright Infringement Claim

SANTA FE, N.M. — An artist whose quirky Space Owl features prominently in Meow Wolf’s wildly successful interactive art exhibit is suing the company and its founder for copyright infringement. Lauren Adele Oliver says in her lawsuit filed Monday in …

Posted: Mar 20, 2020