Insurance Journal

A $1.7 Billion Opioid Settlement Is at Risk of Falling Apart

A major US opioid settlement is on the verge of unraveling. Mallinckrodt Plc, the drugmaker that first began producing morphine and codeine in 1898, owes states, hospitals, tribes, individuals and others hurt by the opioid crisis $200 million by the...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

New Zealand’s Smartpay Hit With Ransomware in Latest Antipodean Cyber Attack

New Zealand-based payments solutions provider Smartpay Holdings said on Friday that it faced a ransomware attack last week, becoming the latest victim in a slew of cyberattacks taking place in the region and in Australia since last year. The company...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Two Florida Pharmacies to Pay $7.4 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

Jacksonville’s Smart Pharmacy, Inc., SP2, LLC, and owner Gregory Balotin have agreed to pay at least $7.4 million to resolve lawsuits filed in Jacksonville, Florida, alleging they violated the False Claims Act by adding the antipsychotic drug a...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Insurer Must Defend Firm Sued for Selling Facial Recognition Program to Police

An ambiguous coverage exclusion prevents a liability insurer from dodging the cost of defending a data broker that was sued after selling the Chicago Police Department access to a facial recognition database that reportedly contained 3 billion images...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Parents of Girl Who Drowned at Missouri Water Park File Lawsuit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The parents of a 6-year-old girl who drowned at a popular Kansas City water park last year allege in a lawsuit that the park repeatedly hires young, inexperienced lifeguards and does not adequately train them. …

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

US Insurers Hit Hardest by Inflation: Triple-I Study

US insurers have paid more than their counterparts worldwide to repair and rebuild damaged properties and vehicles due to inflation since 2018, according to an executive briefing conducted on behalf of the International Insurance Society (IIS). Infla...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

US Agencies Hit in MOVEit Hacking Campaign as Victim List Grows

Multiple US agencies were compromised by a hacking campaign in which attackers have exploited flaws in a popular software tool to gather information from a range of victims. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, a unit of the Depar...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

MGM Denies Responsibility for ‘Fraudster’s’ Gambling Addiction

Gambling giant MGM Resorts International says it did nothing wrong in its dealings with a New York City man who accuses it of preying on his gambling addiction with repeated cash bonuses intended to keep him gambling. In court papers, …

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Commuter Train Collision with Truck in Connecticut Seriously Injures Pickup Driver

A commuter train collided with a pickup truck in Connecticut on Wednesday, injuring the driver and heavily damaging the vehicle, authorities said. The crash happened just before 11:30 a.m. at a Metro-North Railroad street crossing in Norwalk that has...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Jury Awards Ex-Starbucks Manager $25.6 Million Over Firing After Arrests of 2 Black Men

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) – Jurors in federal court have awarded $25.6 million to a former Starbucks regional manager who alleged that she and other white employees were unfairly punished after the high-profile arrests of two Black men at a Philadelphi...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

People Moves: Woodruff Sawyer in California Adds Valdez to Construction Team

Jamin Valdez has joined Woodruff Sawyer as vice president, construction. He will be based in Southern California and will specialize in environmental insurance and environmental site analysis. Before joining Woodruff Sawyer, Valdez was a senior vice...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Storms Across Southeast Damage Buildings, Toss Cars, Topple Trees

Damaging winds and possible tornadoes toppled trees, damaged buildings and blew cars off a highway Wednesday as powerful storms crossed the South from Texas to Georgia. The National Weather Service issued numerous tornado warnings, mainly in southeas...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

5 Dogs Killed in RV Fire Before Florida Dog Show

Five dogs were killed in an RV fire the day before a dog show was set to begin in Florida, officials said. The fire was first reported Tuesday afternoon at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue …

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Five Dogs Killed in RV Fire Before Florida Dog Show

Five dogs were killed in an RV fire the day before a dog show was set to begin in Florida, officials said. The fire was first reported Tuesday afternoon at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Hillsborough County Fire Rescue …

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

New York High Court Upholds Electronic Data Logging for Commercial Trucks

New York’s highest court ruled that a state regulation requiring the installation of electronic logging devices in commercial motor vehicles does not violate the state constitution’s prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure. Th...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Driver Whose Car Vaulted 120 Feet Over Truck: ‘I Thought I Was Going to Die’

A woman whose car was captured on video vaulting into the air over a tow truck and crashing onto a Georgia highway says she’s recovering after spending two weeks in a hospital and undergoing several surgeries. “I don’t really rememb...

Posted: Jun 16, 2023

Insurance Agent Group Has Issues with California Commissioner’s Briefing

A webinar briefing hosted by California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara this week to ease concerns about deteriorating market conditions left insurance agents with more questions than answers, according to a group that represents agents. Agents a...

Posted: Jun 15, 2023

Oregon Jury: PacifiCorp Must Pay Punitive Damages for Fires, Plus Award That Could Reach Billions

A jury on Wednesday ordered the electric utility PacifiCorp to pay punitive damages for causing devastating wildfires in Oregon in 2020 – on top of an earlier verdict already expected to amount to billions of dollars. The decision came two &#82...

Posted: Jun 15, 2023

Study Blames Climate Change for Summer Wildfire Rise in California

A study out this week shows that nearly all of the observed increase in summer wildfires in California over the past half-century is attributable to man-made climate change. An international team of scientists looked at data from record-breaking summ...

Posted: Jun 15, 2023

People Moves: Howden Hires 3 for Casualty in London, Bermuda; Aon Names Fakkel CTO, Strategy & Tech...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Howden Broking, Aon and Everest Re. A summary of these new hires follows here. Howden Hires 3 for Casualty Team in London, Bermuda Howden, the international insurance broker, announce...

Posted: Jun 15, 2023

High Definition Vehicle Insurance Expands Commercial Trucking Product Into Oklahoma

High Definition Vehicle Insurance, a commercial auto insurance provider, launched its insurance products for commercial trucking fleets in Oklahoma, effective July 1. HDVI used approximately 3.5 billion miles of telematics data to build a proprietary...

Posted: Jun 15, 2023

People Moves: Atain Hires Trimble as Chief Underwriting Officer

Atain Hires Trimble as Chief Underwriting Officer Atain Insurance Companies has hired Linc Trimble as its chief underwriting officer. Trimble worked as a consultant with Atain leadership since February and started his new role on June 1. Attain is he...

Posted: Jun 15, 2023

US P/C Records $8.2 Billion Underwriting Loss in Q1: AM Best

A rise in first quarter losses in the homeowners insurance line of business primarily put U.S. property/casualty underwriting results in the red, according to AM Best. The U.S. P/C industry booked a $8.2 billion underwriting loss during for the first...

Posted: Jun 15, 2023

‘Lockbit’ Digital Gang Named Top Ransomware Threat by US, 6 Other Nations

The United States and six other countries on Wednesday identified the digital extortion gang operating under the “Lockbit” banner as the world’s top ransomware threat. In a joint advisory, U.S., Canadian, British, French, German, Au...

Posted: Jun 15, 2023

Tennessee Insurance Consumers Get Back $7.4 Million So Far in 2023

The Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance is reporting that it has helped return more than $7.4 million to consumers so far in 2023 through its mediation and restitution efforts. TDCI said it is on trend to pass last year’s …

Posted: Jun 15, 2023