Claims Journal

U.S. Charges Four Chinese Military Members Over Equifax Hack
U.S. Charges Four Chinese Military Members Over Equifax Hack

The Department of Justice announced charges Monday against four members of China’s People’s Liberation Army for the 2017 hack of Equifax Inc., a breach that exposed the personal information of about 145 million Americans. The announcement by Attorney...

Posted: Feb 10, 2020

Storm Ciara Disrupts European Transport, Soccer Matches
Storm Ciara Disrupts European Transport, Soccer Matches

Hundreds of flights were canceled and trains ground to a halt as Storm Ciara, or Sabine as it’s known in Germany, moved across Europe, shaking parts of the continent with hurricane-strength winds. Gusts in parts of Germany reached 140 kilometers …

Posted: Feb 10, 2020

Uber Falters in First Legal Attack on California Gig Worker Law
Uber Falters in First Legal Attack on California Gig Worker Law

Uber Technologies Inc. and Postmates Inc. are unlikely to put a quick stop to a landmark California law they call a monstrous threat to their business models. A judge signaled Friday that she’s inclined to reject a request to temporarily …

Posted: Feb 10, 2020

PG&E Vows to Reduce Scope of Deliberate Blackouts to Stop Fires
PG&E Vows to Reduce Scope of Deliberate Blackouts to Stop Fires

PG&E Corp. said it aims to shrink the breadth and duration of intentional blackouts during California’s wildfire season as part of a $2.6 billion plan aimed at improving safety. The bankrupt utility giant wants to reduce the average geographic reach...

Posted: Feb 10, 2020

Benzene Emissions at 10 Refineries Exceed EPA Limits: Watchdog
Benzene Emissions at 10 Refineries Exceed EPA Limits: Watchdog

Ten U.S. oil refineries, including six in Texas, released the cancer-causing chemical benzene in concentrations that exceeded federal limits last year, according to government data published by the green group Environmental Integrity Project on Thurs...

Posted: Feb 07, 2020

State Law to Reduce $750 Million Jury Order Against J&J in Baby Powder Case
State Law to Reduce $750 Million Jury Order Against J&J in Baby Powder Case

Johnson & Johnson was ordered on Thursday by a New Jersey state jury to pay punitive damages of $750 million to four plaintiffs who allege that the company’s Baby Powder caused their cancer, a ruling that will be reduced to …

Posted: Feb 07, 2020

Daughter of Worker Killed in Texas Oil Well Blast Sues Chesapeake Energy, Other Firms
Daughter of Worker Killed in Texas Oil Well Blast Sues Chesapeake Energy, Other Firms

Chesapeake Energy Corp. and three oilfield service firms were sued by the daughter of a worker who suffered fatal injuries when a Texas oil well exploded in flames in late January. The wrongful death suit seeks at least $1 million …

Posted: Feb 07, 2020

China’s Coronavirus Deaths, Rise; Supply Chains, Production, Travel Disrupted
China’s Coronavirus Deaths, Rise; Supply Chains, Production, Travel Disrupted

WUHAN, CHINA– China’s fast-moving coronavirus spread among passengers of a quarantined Japanese cruise liner on Thursday and dragged down production at more global businesses, as scientists across the world searched for a vaccine. The death toll from...

Posted: Feb 07, 2020

Connecticut Reports Increase in Workplace-Related Deaths
Connecticut Reports Increase in Workplace-Related Deaths

The number work-related deaths in Connecticut in 2018 was the highest it’s been since 2010, according to the state Department of Labor. The agency said 48 people lost their lives to work-related injuries in 2018, the latest year for which …

Posted: Feb 07, 2020

Student Suing Virginia Military Institute Alleges Hazing
Student Suing Virginia Military Institute Alleges Hazing

A former Virginia Military Institute student is suing the school, alleging he was waterboarded, assaulted and forced to wrestle another student while partially clothed. The lawsuit says the incident prompted the student to withdraw from the school. T...

Posted: Feb 07, 2020

Business News: Tristar, George Hills, RiskStream Collaborative, Verisk
Business News: Tristar, George Hills, RiskStream Collaborative, Verisk

Tristar Buys RMS Tristar Insurance Group, a privately owned third-party claims administrator based in Long Beach, Calif., has agreed to purchase Aspen Risk Management Group. Aspen, located in San Diego, provides remote ergonomics, online service plat...

Posted: Feb 07, 2020

Michigan To Educate Drivers About New Personal Injury Protection Law
Michigan To Educate Drivers About New Personal Injury Protection Law

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan’s top insurance regulator said the state is committed to helping drivers navigate a new law that will let motorists save money by foregoing unlimited medical coverage for crash injuries. The state Department of Insurance and...

Posted: Feb 06, 2020

Daughter of Duck Boat Accident Victim Slams Missouri Bill
Daughter of Duck Boat Accident Victim Slams Missouri Bill

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A woman whose father was among the 17 people who died after a tourist duck boat sank in a Missouri lake condemned a bill Tuesday that would limit when companies can be sued over products that …

Posted: Feb 06, 2020

Satellites Are Helping the Municipal-Bond Market Assess Climate Risk
Satellites Are Helping the Municipal-Bond Market Assess Climate Risk

The $3.8 trillion municipal-bond market has found a new tool in its effort to understand the impact of climate change: the array of satellites orbiting high above Earth. Assessing climate risks is a particularly vexing problem given that U.S. state …

Posted: Feb 06, 2020

Viewpoint: How to Build a Morally Ethical Self-Driving Car
Viewpoint: How to Build a Morally Ethical Self-Driving Car

Not too long ago, tech enthusiasts were telling us that by 2020, we’d see self-driving cars hit the mainstream, with some 10 million on the roads. That turned out to be a wild overestimation. The actual number of vehicles in …

Posted: Feb 06, 2020

PG&E Power Line Hooks Found Wrapped in Tape, Fire Victims Say
PG&E Power Line Hooks Found Wrapped in Tape, Fire Victims Say

A recent inspection of a PG&E Corp. transmission line uncovered equipment issues similar to those cited as the cause of the deadliest fire in California history, according to lawyers for wildfire victims. During a December inspection, an expert for t...

Posted: Feb 06, 2020

Turkish Jet Splits Open After Landing; Three Dead, 179 Injured
Turkish Jet Splits Open After Landing; Three Dead, 179 Injured

At least three people were killed when a Turkish jetliner broke apart after landing in wet weather in Istanbul. In addition, 179 people were injured when the Boeing Co. 737-800 operated by Pegasus Airlines veered off the runway at Sabiha …

Posted: Feb 06, 2020

Worker Who Blames Carrier for Suicide Attempt Can’t Sue in Tort
Worker Who Blames Carrier for Suicide Attempt Can’t Sue in Tort

An injured worker may not pursue a tort claim against a workers’ compensation carrier that is accused of negligence in denying benefits and causing the depressed claimant to attempt suicide, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals ruled. The court’s District...

Posted: Feb 06, 2020

Victoria’s Secret Refused to Act to Protect Women, Models Say
Victoria’s Secret Refused to Act to Protect Women, Models Say

Victoria’s Secret is under fire again from models after new allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced over the weekend. The Model Alliance, an organization that advocates for the protection of models, sent a letter to Victoria’s Secret Chief Executiv...

Posted: Feb 06, 2020

Broward High School Gyms Sanitized Over Mrsa Concerns
Broward High School Gyms Sanitized Over Mrsa Concerns

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Officials in South Florida spent the weekend disinfecting gyms and locker rooms after learning multiple cases of wrestlers who possibly have the bacterial infection MRSA. Four or five students are suspected of having the infec...

Posted: Feb 05, 2020

Extreme Weather Has Gardeners Looking for Resilient Plants
Extreme Weather Has Gardeners Looking for Resilient Plants

Fiercer and more frequent natural disasters in recent years have many homeowners re-evaluating their landscaping. Many are restocking with trees and plants more resilient in the face of storms, fires and flooding. Scientists link the higher frequency...

Posted: Feb 05, 2020

Cloud Companies Chase Future in Cybersecurity ‘Wild West’
Cloud Companies Chase Future in Cybersecurity ‘Wild West’

In March, VMware Inc. Chief Executive Officer Pat Gelsinger took the stage at a premier cybersecurity conference to deliver a cutting message to attendees: The industry had failed its customers and many of the companies were akin to ambulance chasers...

Posted: Feb 05, 2020

Ransomware Attack on Hospital Shows New Risk for Muni-Bond Issuers
Ransomware Attack on Hospital Shows New Risk for Muni-Bond Issuers

Hackers have finally done what bond issuers may have feared most from cyber criminals. A ransomware attack on Pleasant Valley Hospital in West Virginia was partly responsible for the hospital’s breach of its covenant agreement, according to a notice...

Posted: Feb 05, 2020

Juul Bulks Up Science Staff With FDA Vaping Deadline Nearing
Juul Bulks Up Science Staff With FDA Vaping Deadline Nearing

Juul Labs Inc. has hired former Food and Drug Administration employees and is recruiting more researchers as it prepares for a crucial regulatory hurdle that will determine the future of the top U.S. e-cigarette maker. The company and its peers …

Posted: Feb 05, 2020

Self-Driving Mass Transit Arrives on American Streets
Self-Driving Mass Transit Arrives on American Streets

When Interstate 71 arrived in Columbus in the 1960s, the South Linden neighborhood was largely cut off from the rest of the city, wedged between railroad tracks to the south and east and the new concrete highway to the west. …

Posted: Feb 05, 2020