Claims Journal

Nine Dead in Turkey as 5.7 Earthquake Strikes Western Iran
Nine Dead in Turkey as 5.7 Earthquake Strikes Western Iran

ANKARA, Turkey — Nine people were killed in Turkey in a magnitude 5.7 earthquake that struck western Iran early Sunday morning, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said. The quake centered west of the Iranian city of Khoy and affected villages …

Posted: Feb 24, 2020

Judge Questions Plan to Remove Capsized Ship in Huge Chunks
Judge Questions Plan to Remove Capsized Ship in Huge Chunks

SAVANNAH, Ga. — A federal judge Friday ordered attorneys for the U.S. Coast Guard and a maritime salvage company to answer detailed questions about plans to remove an overturned cargo ship on the Georgia coast by sawing it into eight …

Posted: Feb 24, 2020

U.S. Supreme Court Turns Away Religious Bias Claim Against Walgreens
U.S. Supreme Court Turns Away Religious Bias Claim Against Walgreens

WASHINGTON, Feb 24 — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to Walgreens, turning away an appeal by a fired former Florida employee of the pharmacy chain who asked not to work on Saturdays for religious reasons as …

Posted: Feb 24, 2020

How Draining the Reservoir Can Help Mitigate Flooding
How Draining the Reservoir Can Help Mitigate Flooding

Persistent rains have been pounding the Southeast, and a week ago, the Pearl River in Jackson, Mississippi, spilled over its banks, submerging a dozen city blocks in several feet of water. The river had crested at 36.7 feet—its third-highest level …

Posted: Feb 24, 2020

Boeing Suspends Co-Workers of Pilot at Center of Max Scrutiny
Boeing Suspends Co-Workers of Pilot at Center of Max Scrutiny

Boeing Co. put three employees who worked with the former chief technical pilot of the 737 Max on administrative leave as a federal grand jury investigates whether he intentionally misled the Federal Aviation Administration about a software system ti...

Posted: Feb 24, 2020

Arizona: No. 14 in Population, but No. 1 in Auto Glass Claims
Arizona: No. 14 in Population, but No. 1 in Auto Glass Claims

More auto glass claims are filed in Arizona than any state in the nation. The National Insurance Crime Bureau says there’s something fishy about that. Howard Handler, government affairs director for NICB, said he doesn’t believe Arizona highways have...

Posted: Feb 23, 2020

Alaska Needs Broad Review of Aviation Safety, Officials Say
Alaska Needs Broad Review of Aviation Safety, Officials Say

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska needs a comprehensive review effort to improve aviation safety because its aviation fatal and non fatal accident rates are far higher than the national average, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday. The NT...

Posted: Feb 23, 2020

Court Rules California FAIR Plan Can Offer Only Fire Insurance
Court Rules California FAIR Plan Can Offer Only Fire Insurance

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A fund that offers only fire insurance to California residents in wildfire-prone areas can’t be required to provide coverage for other hazards such as flooding or theft, a judge ruled this week. Superior Court Judge Mary Strobel...

Posted: Feb 21, 2020

Judge: Army Corps Not Responsible for Harvey Flooding Damage
Judge: Army Corps Not Responsible for Harvey Flooding Damage

HOUSTON — A federal judge has ruled the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers isn’t liable to damage to thousands of Houston homes that were inundated by two federally owned reservoirs in the days following Hurricane Harvey because they would have …

Posted: Feb 21, 2020

UK’s Johnson Under Fire for Flood Response as More Rain Due
UK’s Johnson Under Fire for Flood Response as More Rain Due

LONDON — British authorities said Thursday that more rain will bring the risk of “significant flooding” in the coming days, as people in central England and Wales kept a close eye on swollen rivers that have already flooded hundreds of …

Posted: Feb 21, 2020

Body of 2nd Firefighter in California Library Blaze Found
Body of 2nd Firefighter in California Library Blaze Found

PORTERVILLE, Calif.– Crews have found the remains of a second firefighter killed while battling a blaze at a public library in central California allegedly started by two 13-year-old boys, authorities said. The Porterville Fire Department said crews...

Posted: Feb 21, 2020

U.S. Lawmakers to Introduce Bill that Threatens Encryption on Tech Platforms
U.S. Lawmakers to Introduce Bill that Threatens Encryption on Tech Platforms

WASHINGTON, Feb 21 — U.S. legislation will be introduced in the coming weeks that could hurt technology companies’ ability to offer end-to-end encryption, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, and it aims to curb the distribution of child …

Posted: Feb 21, 2020

Boeing Failure to Fix 737 Max Warning Light May Draw FAA Penalty
Boeing Failure to Fix 737 Max Warning Light May Draw FAA Penalty

Boeing Co. engineers discovered in 2017 that a software glitch had rendered a warning light on the newly introduced 737 Max inoperable on 80% of the planes. But the company chose not to fix it or to inform U.S. regulators. …

Posted: Feb 21, 2020

Viewpoint: Trucking Is Deadly for Truckers, and Lots of Other People
Viewpoint: Trucking Is Deadly for Truckers, and Lots of Other People

Of the major industries for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported workplace fatality rates for 2018, truck transportation was the most dangerous, with 28 deaths per 100,000 full-time-equivalent workers. To be sure, there are jobs more dangero...

Posted: Feb 21, 2020

5th Circuit: Insurer May Have Duty to Defend Lawyer Who Missed Real Estate Scam
5th Circuit: Insurer May Have Duty to Defend Lawyer Who Missed Real Estate Scam

A malpractice insurer should have defended a Dallas attorney in a lawsuit filed by investors who were scammed by a career criminal, despite the carrier’s argument that the lawyer sent notice of her claim to the wrong office, the 5th …

Posted: Feb 21, 2020

Australia Wine Faces ‘Toughest Year’ in Memory After Fires and Drought
Australia Wine Faces ‘Toughest Year’ in Memory After Fires and Drought

The choking smoke that blanketed Australia’s east and south coast during devastating wildfires is roiling some of its storied wineries. Some winemakers are scrapping vintages this year after grapes were hit by smoke taint, which gives wines a burnt,...

Posted: Feb 21, 2020

MIT to Caption Online Videos After Discrimination Lawsuit
MIT to Caption Online Videos After Discrimination Lawsuit

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has agreed to provide captions for more of its publicly available online videos as part of a settlement announced Tuesday in a case that accused the school of discriminating against people who are …

Posted: Feb 20, 2020

California Bill Bars Insurers From Declining Fire Coverage
California Bill Bars Insurers From Declining Fire Coverage

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Amid mounting cries of California homeowners being denied wildfire insurance in high-risk areas, lawmakers want to require insurance companies to cover all existing homes, as long as they meet new safety standards. The measure, c...

Posted: Feb 20, 2020

Boeing, Crash Victims’ Lawyers Negotiate Over Access to 737 Max Documents
Boeing, Crash Victims’ Lawyers Negotiate Over Access to 737 Max Documents

Boeing Co and lawyers representing families of victims of a 737 MAX crash agreed in court on Wednesday to hold a conference call with U.S. government crash probe authorities over access to documents related to the now-grounded aircraft’s design, deve...

Posted: Feb 20, 2020

Your Corporate Email Isn’t as Safe as You Think
Your Corporate Email Isn’t as Safe as You Think

The discovery of an alleged international ring of fraudsters started with a one-line email. In April 2019, a company accountant received an email that appeared to be from the chief executive officer. “Joanna, Can you mail out a check to …

Posted: Feb 20, 2020

Sex Abuse Cases Push Harrisburg Catholic Diocese into Bankruptcy
Sex Abuse Cases Push Harrisburg Catholic Diocese into Bankruptcy

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, facing sex abuse claims it says it may not be able to pay, filed for bankruptcy protection, citing changing laws and an increasing number of victims. The church “has struggled to remain financially viable …

Posted: Feb 20, 2020

Virus Havoc Could Shut Down a Nissan Factory Half a World Away
Virus Havoc Could Shut Down a Nissan Factory Half a World Away

Nissan Motor Co. is bracing for potential disruptions in plants as far away as the U.S. because the coronavirus epidemic in China is leading to a parts shortage and wreaking havoc across the supply chain, people familiar with the matter …

Posted: Feb 20, 2020

PG&E Judge Says Bankrupt Utility Violated Probation Terms
PG&E Judge Says Bankrupt Utility Violated Probation Terms

The federal judge overseeing PG&E Corp.’s criminal probation lashed out at the company for falling “far behind” on fire safety progress as he considers whether to make the bankrupt California utility owner hire more tree trimmers and restrict how it...

Posted: Feb 20, 2020

Business People: Sedgwick, Swiss Re and Crawford & Co.
Business People: Sedgwick, Swiss Re and Crawford & Co.

Sedgwick Appoints Pool Administrator Sedgwick has hired Rob Kramer, a former York Risk Services manager, as director of pool administration. Kramer will be responsible for developing creative solutions to help risk pools continue to thrive as they fa...

Posted: Feb 20, 2020

Storm-Swollen Rivers Surge in UK, Severe Flood Alerts Issued
Storm-Swollen Rivers Surge in UK, Severe Flood Alerts Issued

LONDON — Residents in central England and Wales piled up sandbags, readied water pumps and hoped for the best Tuesday as rivers peaked after a weekend storm brought up to 6 inches (150 mm) of rain to an already waterlogged …

Posted: Feb 19, 2020