Insurance Journal

Workers’ Comp Mega Claims Total $1B-Plus Yearly, Multiagency Study Shows

Mega claims in workers’ compensation represent far less than 1% of total workers’ comp claims yet account for more than 2% of total loss dollars, and total in excess of $1 billion each year, a new study from 10 state …

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

US Appeals Court Tosses Nasdaq Board Diversity Rules

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday ruled that Nasdaq could not impose rules designed to increase diversity in corporate America by requiring companies listed on the exchange to have women and minority directors on their boards or explain why they &#82...

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

Trump’s Antitrust Trio Heralds Big-Tech Crackdown to Continue

President-elect Donald Trump’s antitrust picks are likely to take a hard-line on the tech giants, and a harder line on corporate consolidation than the average Republican. All three of the new administration’s selections – Gail Slater as...

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

Offshore Driller Asks Judge to Block Insurers’ Demands for $250M Collateral

W&T Offshore, an independent driller operating in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, has asked a federal judge to block insurance companies’ demands for $250 million in additional collateral for taking apart old oil infrastructure. The offshore drill...

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

World Insurance Associates Acquires Sprague Israel Giles in Washington

World Insurance Associates LLC acquired the business of Sprague Israel Giles Inc. in Seattle, Washington. Sprague Israel Giles was founded in 1958 by David Sprague and Mike Israel. Ten years later, Leon Giles joined the firm and eventually became a &...

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

Amazon Cites Safety for Slower Deliveries to 2 DC Low Income ZIP Codes

The District of Columbia has sued Amazon, alleging the company secretly stopped providing its fastest delivery service to residents of two predominantly Black neighborhoods while still charging millions of dollars for a membership that promises the b...

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

Construction Firm Owner Sentenced for $2 Million Tax Evasion, Lying to OSHA

A Massachusetts construction business owner was sentenced to 18 months in prison for an employment tax scheme and making a false statement at an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hearing about a worker’s death. According to c...

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

Polluted Communities Hold Breath as Companies Struggle With California’s Diesel Truck Ban

Standing in his front yard in Wilmington, Jose Ulloa can’t get a sentence out without coughing. Heavy-duty trucks, headed to and from the Port of Los Angeles, pass in front of his home all day, their engines roaring and their …

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

Communities Hold Breath as Companies Struggle With California’s Diesel Truck Ban

Standing in his front yard in Wilmington, Jose Ulloa can’t get a sentence out without coughing. Heavy-duty trucks, headed to and from the Port of Los Angeles, pass in front of his home all day, their engines roaring and their …

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

Jury Awards $10.6 Million in Wrongful Death Claim Against Tobacco Firm

The family of a woman who smoked cigarettes for decades and died at age 59 from lung cancer has won a $10.6 million verdict in a case against cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. A jury in Massachusetts Superior Court …

Posted: Dec 13, 2024

New York Considers Making Property Insurers Cover Taxi Claims Losses

New York is considering asking property and casualty insurers to cover the claims of insolvent taxi insurer American Transit Insurance Co., according to people familiar with the plans. That measure is one of several options under discussion as the st...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

People Moves: HDI Global Promotes Schulte as Global Head of Marine; Amwins Global Risks Hires Ewing...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at HDI Global and Amwins Global Risks. A summary of these new hires follows here. HDI Global Promotes Schulte as Global Head of Marine HDI Global has promoted Dr. Carsten Schulte as &#82...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

Texas Sues Chemical Manufacturers for Deceptive PFAS Marketing

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Dec. 11 against manufacturers 3M and DuPont for misrepresenting the health risks of products made with forever chemicals The lawsuit alleges the companies for decades manufactured, marketed, and so...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

Florida Board Revokes Butt-Lift Doctor’s License, Three Years After Patient Died

Florida’s Board of Medicine has revoked the medical license of a doctor who performed Brazilian butt-lift surgery, three years after his license was restricted after a botched surgery killed a patient. Dr. Christopher Walker, who had operated a...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

Digital Lloyd’s Syndicate Ki to Become Standalone Business Within Fairfax Group

Brit Ltd. and Ki announced that Ki will operate as a standalone company within the Fairfax Group, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Ki was incubated and launched by Brit in 2020 and began writing business on Jan. 1, 2021 with its …

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

Federal Court Affirms $14M Penalty Against Exxon for Pollution in Texas

A federal court on Wednesday affirmed a federal judge’s 2021 ruling imposing a $14.25 million penalty on Exxon Mobil for thousands of violations of the federal Clean Air Act at the company’s refinery and chemical plant complex in Baytown....

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

Aon and EBRD Launch €110M Facility to Provide Cover for War-Related Risks in Ukraine

Insurance broker Aon and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) have structured a €110 million (US$115.6 million) facility to provide reinsurance capacity for international reinsurers and Ukrainian insurance companies to cover wa...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

Ryan Companies to Pay $350K Over Sexual Harassment at Iowa Site

The U.S. Department of Labor announced that its Office of the Federal Contract Compliance Programs has entered into a conciliation agreement with Ryan Companies US Inc. to resolve allegations that the federal contractor’s employees faced sexual...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

ALKEME Acquires Iowa’s Relion

ALKEME announced the acquisition of Relion Insurance Solutions, one of Iowa’s largest insurance agencies with over 140 years of history serving Iowa and surrounding areas. Relion Insurance Solutions, formed through the merger of two of Iowa&#82...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

Virginia Approves 12% Loss Cost Decrease for Workers Compensation

Virginia has approved a 12.0% loss cost decrease in the workers’ compensation voluntary market along with rate decreases in the assigned risk market, effective April 1, 2025. The State Corporation Commission (SCC) approved the proposed voluntar...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

Virginia Approves 12% Loss Cost Decrease for Workers’ Compensation

Virginia has approved a 12.0% loss cost decrease in the workers’ compensation voluntary market along with rate decreases in the assigned risk market, effective April 1, 2025. The State Corporation Commission (SCC) approved the proposed voluntar...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

Senators Say US Must Boost Security After Chinese Salt Typhoon Telecom Hacking

The United States must do more to address hacking threats after China’s alleged efforts known as Salt Typhoon to infiltrate American telecommunications companies and steal data about U.S. calls, senators said at a hearing Wednesday. “This...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

CEO of Large Vocational School in Court on 23 Charges Of Insurance Fraud

The CEO of one of California’s largest vocational return to work counseling centers appeared in court this week after being charged with 23 felony counts including insurance fraud, theft and forgery. Hazel Ortega, 53, of La Habra, was charged a...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

CEO of Large California Vocational School in Court on 23 Charges of Insurance Fraud

The CEO of one of California’s largest vocational return to work counseling centers appeared in court this week after being charged with 23 felony counts including insurance fraud, theft and forgery. Hazel Ortega, 53, of La Habra, was charged a...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024

BHP, Rio Pressured Women to Sign NDAs After Sexual Harassment Complaints: Lawyer

BHP and Rio Tinto have used confidentiality agreements to prevent female employees from speaking about sexual harassment at work, according to a lawyer leading Australian class action lawsuits against the miners. Brisbane-based law firm JGA Saddler f...

Posted: Dec 12, 2024