Insurance Journal

FBI: Fire That Damaged Cambridge Church Probed as Arson

A fire that broke out at a Massachusetts church not long after Easter services is being investigated as a possible arson, according to the FBI and state and local law enforcement agencies. The fire started about 5:30 p.m. April 9 …

Posted: Apr 21, 2023

Two Charged With Setting Philadelphia Fire That Killed Firefighter for Insurance Money

The owner of a Philadelphia building that caught fire and collapsed last summer, killing a city firefighter and injuring five other people, has been indicted along with another man on charges they set the blaze, federal prosecutors announced Wednesda...

Posted: Apr 21, 2023

Cal/OSHA Cites Equipment Company, Refers Contractor for Prosecution in Confined Space Deaths

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health cited Meeder Equipment Co. of Rancho Cucamonga and referred D&D Construction Specialties Inc. of Sun Valley for criminal prosecution in two separate cases of workers’ deaths related...

Posted: Apr 21, 2023

Sin or Crime? Inquiry Targets Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Handling of Child Sex Abuse

A Pennsylvania grand jury in recent months accused nine men with connections to the Jehovah’s Witnesses of child sexual abuse in what some consider the nation’s most comprehensive investigation yet into abuse within the faith. The sets of...

Posted: Apr 21, 2023

Parents and Schools Face Increase Scrutiny After Shootings

In many school shootings, the person who pulled the trigger – often a current or former student – is the only one blamed for the crime. But the arrest last week of a mother, whose 6-year-old son shot his teacher, …

Posted: Apr 21, 2023

Insurance Veteran Motamed, 74, Dies

Thomas F. Motamed, an industry veteran who started his career as a claims trainee and eventually led some of the largest insurers in the world, died of brain cancer on Tuesday. He was 74 years old. Motamed was most recently …

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Pew: 7-in-10 Americans Favor Steps to Become Carbon Neutral by 2050

Cannabis enthusiasts have the 4/20 holiday, but in two days some 7.9 billion people have cause to celebrate. Earth Day is Saturday, and while today’s eyes are on the cannabis holiday, the media is already starting to turn coverage to …

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Judge Halts Most Talc Lawsuits Against J&J, Stops Trials

A U.S. judge on Thursday halted most of the tens of thousands of lawsuits alleging Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder and other talc products caused cancer and stopped any trials as part of a company subsidiary’s second attempt to settle...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Central Oklahoma Tornadoes Kill 3, Cause Widespread Damage

A tornado outbreak on in central Oklahoma left three people dead and caused heavy damage Wednesday night. Three fatalities were reported in McClain County, where a tornado hit the town of Cole. Another tornado touched down in Shawnee, causing damage...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Newly Active Sinkhole in Southeast Texas Town Has Some Residents in Fear

DAISETTA, Texas (AP) – When the massive sinkhole first appeared in Daisetta in May 2008, some residents had feared it might engulf their small Southeast Texas town. But after growing to 900 feet (274 m) across and 260 feet (79 …

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

ChatGPT Poised to Expose Corporate Secrets, Cyber Firm Warns

Companies using generative artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT could be putting confidential customer information and trade secrets at risk, according to a report from Team8, an Israel-based venture firm. The widespread adoption of new AI chat...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Wisconsin Lawmakers Aim for Harsher Carjacking Penalties

MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A bipartisan bill designating carjacking as a criminal offense and creating harsher penalties for people who use a weapon to steal a vehicle was set for final approval in the Wisconsin Legislature on Tuesday. Passage by &#8...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Lukoil Buys Into AIG’s Former Russian Subsidiary

Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil has bought into insurance company GARDIA, a former subsidiary of AIG, one of the world’s biggest commercial insurers, GARDIA said earlier this week. (Editor’s note: Reuters included a note...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Minnesota Prepares for Flooding on Mississippi, Other Rivers

STILLWATER, Minn. (AP) – The Metropolitan Airports Commission temporarily shut down flight operations for much of Tuesday at the St. Paul Downtown Airport while crews installed flood control barriers to hold back rising water on the Mississippi...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Iowa Lawmakers Advanced Bill to Loosen Child Labor Laws

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Lawmakers in Iowa’s Senate passed a controversial bill Tuesday that would allow minors to work longer hours and work in currently banned roles, like serving alcohol at restaurants, the Des Moines Register reported....

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Tech Firms Try to Muzzle Workers With NDAs, SEC Tipsters Say

Some top US technology companies are forcing workers to sign allegedly illegal labor agreements, according to complaints filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, despite years of enforcement by the agency against the practice. Firms, includ...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Auto Insurance Shopping Rises as Consumers Seek Better Rate

Auto insurers have been forthcoming in their desire to achieve rate to match increases in claims costs and, so far in 2023, consumers are not standing by. According to a quarterly report from J.D. Power, in collaboration with TransUnion, the …

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Plaintiffs ‘Shocked’ as Judge Ends Hartford Police Consent Decree Imposed in 1973

A judge has ended the nearly 50 years of federal oversight of police in Hartford, Connecticut, despite continued concerns the department still has not hired enough minority officers to reflect the city’s large Black and Hispanic populations. U....

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

People Moves: Landy Agency Hires McNamara for Marketing/Sales; XPT: S&H Adds March, Specialist Adds...

Herbert H. Landy Agency Hires McNamara as Marketing and Sales VP Herbert H. Landy Insurance Agency has hired Stephanie McNamara as national marketing and sales vice president. McNamara brings over 30 years of experience in the insurance industry to t...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Allstate Estimates $1.7 Billion in Q1 Catastrophe Losses

Allstate Corp. said pre-tax catastrophe losses for the first quarter are expected to be about $1.7 billion, with about $1.3 billion occurring during the month of March. Losses in March were attributed to 10 events with 75% of losses related …

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Workers’ Comp Takes Bite Out of Employee’s Right to Sue Third Party: Pennsylvania High Court

A Pennsylvania employer cannot be sued for blocking an employee from suing the third party responsible for her workplace injury, the state’s high court has ruled in reversing two lower courts. In a case involving an employee who was bitten &#82...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Workers’ Comp Takes Bite Out of Employee Right to Sue Third Party: Pennsylvania High Court

A Pennsylvania employer cannot be sued for blocking an employee from suing the third party responsible for her workplace injury, the state’s high court has ruled in reversing two lower courts. In a case involving an employee who was bitten &#82...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Tennessee Lawmakers Move to Shield Gun Makers From Lawsuits After Shooting

In the wake of a deadly school shooting last month, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee awarded final passage Tuesday to a proposal that would further protect gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers against lawsuits. The Senate’s 19...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Insured Losses from Mississippi Tornado Nearing $100 Million

Insurance losses from the March tornado that carved a path of destruction through parts of Mississippi are approaching $100 million, and uninsured losses will likely exceed that number, the state insurance department announced Tuesday. The damage is...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023

Gallagher Launches Brokerage in Japan, Led by 2 Former Marsh Execs

Gallagher has launched an insurance brokerage in Japan, which specializes in insurance solutions to both commercial clients and wholesale facultative insurance to other brokers. The Japanese unit is led by two former Marsh executives: Takuya Aibe and...

Posted: Apr 20, 2023