Insurance Journal

California Lawsuit Says Grocer Broke Law by Asking Job-Seekers About Criminal Histories

California sued the Ralphs supermarket chain, alleging that it violated state law by asking job-seekers whether they had criminal records and illegally rejecting hundreds of applicants. The California Civil Rights Department contends that Ralphs Groc...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Canada’s Fairfax Completes $860M Acquisition of Gulf Insurance Group from KIPCO

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. announced it has completed the US$860 million acquisition of Gulf Insurance Group (GIG) from Kuwait Projects Co. (KIPCO) and certain of its affiliates. First announced in April 2023, the deal represents approximately 4...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

SPAC Mania’s Ugly End Yields $46 Billion of Investor Losses in 2023

Wall Street’s affair with blank-check firms, the finance fad that pushed companies onto the stock market during the COVID-19 pandemic, ended this year with a string of big bankruptcies and even bigger losses for shareholders. At least 21 firms...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Gas Tanker’s Detour of 8,000 Kilometers Highlights Shipping’s Current Chokepoints

A gas tanker’s long, circuitous journey is highlighting the toll that war and climate change are taking on the shipping industry. Pacific Weihai loaded in Houston on Dec. 14 with a cargo of liquefied petroleum gas intended for Ningbo, China, &#...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

French Climate Damage Measures Came Late but Were Sufficient, Court Rules

France’s moves to limit climate damage came late but were sufficient, a French court ruled on Friday, in a blow to attempts by environmental campaigners to impose a 1.1 billion euro ($1.21 billion) penalty on the state for alleged failings. &#8...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Iranian-Linked Hacks Expose Vulnerabilities of US Water System

In late November, an Iranian-backed hacking group attacked Israeli-made digital controls commonly used in the water and wastewater industries in the US, affecting multiple organizations across several states. That same month, the North Texas Municipa...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Severe Storms Lash Australia’s East Coast, Killing 9 People

Nine people have died in Australia after severe storms lashed the nation’s east coast on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning there is a risk of more flash flooding even as the weather system moves …

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Japan Orders 4 Non-Life Insurers to End Anti-Competitive Business Practices

Japan ordered four major non-life insurance companies to improve business practices in connection with anti-competitive activity that aimed to keep premiums high, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said on Tuesday. The order was issued to Aioi Nissay D...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Into the Surge in High-Stakes Verdicts: A Deep Dive Into Nuclear Verdicts

In recent years, the insurance industry has been grappling with a growing concern: the surge in what is now termed “nuclear verdicts.” As the name suggests, these are not just ordinary legal outcomes. These verdicts are particularly high...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Litigation Abuse, Regulation, Hard Market Among Insurance Trades’ Priorities for 2024

Insurance trade organizations are always working for the industry so Insurance Journal asked them: What are the top priorities and/or challenges heading into 2024? Here are the responses we received: In the coming year, the American Property Casualty...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Apple to Fight Watch Ban in Court After White House Declines to Act

Apple Inc., seeking to defend a business that generates roughly $17 billion a year, is appealing a US sales ban of its smartwatches after the White House refused to overturn the measure. Apple will challenge the ban — imposed by …

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Tesla Recalls 120,000 Vehicles Over Doors That Could Unlock in Crash

Tesla is recalling just over 120,000 Model S and Model X vehicles in the United States over the risk of doors being unlocked and opening during a crash, the automaker said Friday. Tesla released an over-the-air (OTA) software update for …

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Tennessee Officials Sue BlackRock for ‘Misleading’ ESG Strategy

(Bloomberg) — The state of Tennessee sued BlackRock Inc. for allegedly breaching consumer protection laws by making “misleading” statements about its ESG investment strategy. State Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said BlackRock f...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

NC Appeals Court Says Injured Off-Duty Law Officers are Joint Employees

The question has arisen many times around the country: Is an injured, off-duty law officer, moonlighting on security or traffic control, considered an employee of the law enforcement division or a private company? The North Carolina Court of Appeals...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Tampa Settles Lawsuit with Feds Over Parental Leave for Male Workers

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The city of Tampa has reached an agreement with the federal government to resolve a discrimination lawsuit alleging that male workers didn`t receive the same parental leave as female workers. Under the proposed settlement rea...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Truck Hits Railroad Bridge and Explodes as Train Passes Overhead

A tractor-trailer loaded with what authorities believe were gas containers slammed into the bottom of an overhead railroad bridge in upstate New York and exploded last Thursday night as a freight train was traveling on the tracks above. The crash &#8...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Delaware Hospital System to Pay $47 Million to Settle Billing Fraud Claims

Delaware’s largest hospital system will pay more than $47 million to settle whistleblower allegations by its former compliance officer that it provided kickbacks to outside doctors in return for patient referrals, resulting in fraudulent Medica...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

New York Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Ban Noncompete Agreements

New York`s governor vetoed a bill days before Christmas that would have banned noncompete agreements, which restrict workers` ability to leave their job for a role with a rival business. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said she tried to work with …

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Philadelphia News Helicopter Hit Trees, Broke Apart, Then Caught Fire After Fatal Crash

A Philadelphia television news helicopter returning from an assignment photographing Christmas lights earlier this week plunged into a southern New Jersey forest “at very high speed,” broke apart, then caught fire after it crashed, killin...

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Answering the 3 Big Questions About Citizenship Affidavits in Insurance Licensing

This post is part of a series sponsored by AgentSync. An insurance license can be the doorway to a rewarding and lucrative career. You might even say insurance is a field ripe for the making of the American Dream. So, …

Posted: Dec 27, 2023

Police Searching for Suspect in Deadly Florida Mall Shooting

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — Authorities in central Florida issued an arrest warrant Sunday for a 39-year-old man accused of fatally shooting another man at a shopping mall two days before Christmas in which police say the victim was “targeted.&#82...

Posted: Dec 26, 2023

Oakbridge Acquires Akin Insurance Agency in Georgia

Oakbridge Insurance Agency, calling itself one of the largest independent agencies with partnerships around the country, has acquired another Georgia company. Akin Insurance Agency, with offices in Vienna and Cordele, Georgia, specializes in agribusi...

Posted: Dec 26, 2023

Viewpoint: Florida High Court Tapped Brakes On Dangerous Instrumentality Liability

Floridians concerned about liability when sharing their automobiles with children or friends can relax a bit after the Florida Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the state’s long-standing dangerous instrumentality doctrine. Its decision in...

Posted: Dec 26, 2023

Georgia Lawnmower Man Wanted on Charges of Filing False Claim on ‘Stolen’ Mower

Georgia authorities were searching for an Atlanta-area landscaper who has been charged with falsely claiming that one of his commercial-grade lawnmowers had been stolen, then collecting $19,000 from his insurance company. It turns out that Bryan Gatl...

Posted: Dec 26, 2023

California Awards $21.7M to Boost Climate Resilience Across the State

A new Regional Resilience Grant Program aims to protect California communities from climate impacts like wildfire, drought, sea level rise and extreme heat. State leaders have unveiled a $21.7 million funding initiative in the inaugural round of Cali...

Posted: Dec 26, 2023