Insurance Journal

The Odds of a Hurricane-Boosting La Niña This Year Are Rising

The odds of a La Niña weather pattern this year are rising, amplifying the risk of hurricanes in the Atlantic and drought in California and South America. There’s a 55% chance that La Niña, a cooling of the equatorial Pacific, …

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Judge Orders Elon Musk to Testify in SEC’s Twitter Probe

A federal judge ordered Elon Musk to testify again in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s probe of his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, giving the regulator and the billionaire a week to agree on a date and location for …

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Amazon Staff Allege Retaliation in Pay Gap Discrimination Suit

Amazon.com Inc. allegedly retaliated against three female employees — including firing one and placing another on a performance plan — after they sued the company for discrimination, the plaintiffs said in new court papers. In an amended complaint fi...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Jacobson: Survey Shows ‘A Significant Pause’ in Industry Job Growth

More than half of insurance companies expect to increase staff in the next year, according to the latest labor market study from Aon and the Jacobson Group. Meanwhile, 77% of carriers expect to increase revenue in the next 12 months. …

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Markets/Coverages: WTW Launches Primary Cyber, Tech E&O Facility for Int’l Clients

Insurance broker WTW has launched a cyber solution aimed at international clients headquartered outside of Great Britain and the United States with revenues up to US$1 billion (or the equivalent currency). The International CyCore Facility (ICF) is a...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

NTSB to Release Cause of East Palestine, Ohio Train Derailment in June Hearing

Federal investigators say they will determine the cause of last year’s fiery Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio at a hearing in East Palestine this June. The National Transportation Safety Board announced Wednesday that it will hold th...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Migratory Animals in Peril From Overhunting, Habitat Loss: UN Report

Every year, mammals, birds, fish and insects make epic migrations between habitats. The humpback whale, famously, can travel 5,000 miles in a trip. But because these animals cross national borders and frequently congregate at predictable way stops, t...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Ten Texas Counties Have Soot Levels Above EPA Standards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday finalized a long-anticipated rule aimed at reducing the level of air pollution known as particulate matter — microscopic particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs and harm people’s he...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Rio Tinto Faces Pressure From Investors Over Water Contamination Claims

Global mining giant Rio Tinto, which sparked outrage after destroying an ancient Indigenous site in Australia in 2020, faces new pressure from socially conscious investors and lenders, this time on water practices at two of its mines. A group represe...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Texas Supreme Court Rules to Cut Out Attorney’s Fees in First-Party Appraisals

The Texas Supreme Court recently ruled that when an insurance company pays an appraisal award plus any statutory interest in a weather-related first-party property case, there is no liability for attorney’s fees. The court responded to a certif...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Minnesota Officials: Lodge That Burned Had Unresolved Inspection Violations

Minnesota regulators said on Feb. 7 that a historic lodge destroyed in a fire had three unresolved violations from a recent fire code inspection, but it wasn’t clear if those violations played a role in the blaze. A staffer at …

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Two Dead After Plane Crash-Lands on Florida Interstate in Naples

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — Two people have died after a small plane attempted to make an emergency landing on Interstate 75 in southwest Florida on Friday afternoon, colliding with a vehicle and bringing traffic to a halt as a massive …

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Two Dead After Plane Crash on Florida Interstate

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — A pilot and co-pilot were identified as the two killed in a fiery plane crash on a Florida highway, law enforcement officials said. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office identified Edward Daniel Murphy, a 50-year-old pilot and...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Prime Insurance Avoids $60M Judgment in Liposuction Death Case in Georgia

Prime Insurance Co. is not liable for $60 million in damages after two patients died following liposuction at a Georgia clinic, thanks in part to the clear wording of the insurance policy and timely action by the insurer, a federal …

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

APCIA Urging No to Utah’s HB 144 Bill on Right of Way

The American Property Casualty Insurance Association wants Utah senators to vote no on HB 144, a bill the APCIA says is confusing and could be interpreted as a drivers’ right of way on a green light is absolute. “Utah senators …

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

People Moves: BenefitMall Adds Perea to Northern California Team

BenefitMall named Carmen Perea as sales executive for Northern California. Perea has more than two decades of industry experience. Before joining BenefitMall in December 2023, Carmen worked as an account executive at Dickerson Insurance Services, An...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Not Interviewing, Hiring Deaf Job Applicant Cost Distributor $1.6 Million

A seven-person jury in Syracuse, New York, returned a $1.675 million verdict last week in a disability discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of a job candidate who is deaf. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) brought the complain...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

10 Cars of Cargo Train Carrying Cooking Oil, Plastic Pellets Derail; 2 Land in Hoosic River

Ten cars of a cargo train carrying plastic pellets and cooking oil derailed in upstate New York, with two ending up in a river, authorities said. The cars, part of a 94-car train operated by Berkshire & Eastern Railroad, derailed …

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Venbrook in California Expands Student Insurance

Venbrook Group LLC and Student Insurance announced the expansion of their accident coverage program for student-athletes attending universities in California. The Student Athlete Insurance Network is a partnership with Anthem Blue Cross established i...

Posted: Feb 12, 2024

Chicken Processing Plant Fined $393K for Endangering Ohio Employees

A chicken processing plant – with a long history of violations ‒ continues to ignore federal safety regulations and expose workers to multiple hazards while they process chickens for commercial sale, federal inspectors found. Inspectors with the U.S....

Posted: Feb 09, 2024

Louisiana Furniture Retailer Settles Race Discrimination Lawsuit for $105K

A furniture retailer and lessor based in Louisiana has agreed to pay a former employee $105,000 to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced. Affordable Rent-to...

Posted: Feb 09, 2024

Court Orders Texas Adjuster to Cease Using Lloyd’s Trademarked Names

A Texas public adjuster committed willful infringement when he formed a corporation and a limited liability company with the names “Certain Underwriters at Lloyds London, Inc.” and “Certain Underwriters of Lloyds London,” a di...

Posted: Feb 09, 2024

Amazon Steers Consumers to Higher-Priced Items, Lawsuit Claims

Amazon.com was sued in a proposed U.S. class action accusing the online retailer of violating a consumer protection law by steering hundreds of millions of shoppers to higher-priced items in order to earn extra fees. According to a complaint filed &#...

Posted: Feb 09, 2024

AM Best Says Losses from California Storms Largely Uninsured, Underinsured

The economic losses from the latest round of California storms will be significant, with many of these losses may not be insured because only 2% of California residents have purchased flood insurance, David Blades, associate director, industry resear...

Posted: Feb 09, 2024

Top AI Companies Join Government Effort to Set Safety Standards

The top US artificial intelligence companies will participate in a government-led effort intended to craft federal standards on the technology to ensure that it’s deployed safely and responsibly, the Commerce Department said Thursday. OpenAI, A...

Posted: Feb 09, 2024