Insurance Journal

Florida House Panel Approves Bill to End AOBs in Windshield Repair

Auto insurance and tort-reform groups are celebrating after a subcommittee of the Florida House Banking and Insurance Committee approved a bill that would ban assignment-of-benefits agreements for windshield repairs, a measure that proponents hope wi...

Posted: Mar 15, 2023

Connecticut Jury Awards $20M in Worker’s Death From Asbestos Exposure

A Connecticut jury has delivered a $20 million verdict for the widow and family of John Peckham, who died in 2020 from mesothelioma after being exposed to asbestos while working with DAP “33” window glaze in the 1960s. The two …

Posted: Mar 15, 2023

Wife of Man Killed by Oregon Police Gets $1.6M Settlement

A lawsuit over the death of a man who was killed by Oregon State Police outside his home in southern Oregon in 2015 has been settled for $1.6 million after a lengthy legal odyssey, the Grants Pass Daily Courier reported. …

Posted: Mar 15, 2023

People Moves: De Fazio Joins Woodruff Sawyer as Southwest Regional Growth Leader

Mic De Fazio has joined Woodruff Sawyer in a new role as regional growth leader for the Southwest region. De Fazio will lead a team of specialized producers in efforts to design and build new growth initiatives. Prior to joining …

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Few Attorneys Left at Troubled McClenny Moseley & Associates

McClenny Moseley & Associates filed more than 2,000 hurricane-damage lawsuits in Louisiana, but now appears to have no attorneys left in the state to pursue them. Three attorneys who once worked in MMA’s New Orleans office have posted notic...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Miami Homeowner Charged with Falsifying Insurance Claim on Patio Door Damage

Florida authorities have charged a Miami-area homeowner with fabricating and inflating damage estimates to his home in an attempt to defraud Tokio Marine Insurance Co. out of thousands of dollars. Trevor Lawrence Taylor, 50, was arrested this week an...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

EU Prepares for Climate Stress Test That Includes Insurers

The European Union is starting to prepare the region’s next stress test to measure the financial sector’s readiness for climate change, with the exercise set to involve the insurance industry for the first time. The European Commission la...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

People Moves: Lloyd’s Names James as COO, Taking Over From Keese Who Continues as CFO; Howden Tiger...

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Lloyd’s and Howden Tiger. A summary of these new hires follows here. Lloyd’s Names James as COO, Taking Over From Keese Who Will Continue as CFO Lloyd’s of London an...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon Won’t Seek Reelection

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announced Tuesday that he will not run for reelection this fall, marking an end to 17 years as the state’s chief insurance regulator. “I’ve made that decision for two reasons: The first i...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Juul to Pay Chicago $23M for Underage Vaping Settlement

CHICAGO (AP) – Vaping company Juul Labs will pay Chicago $23.8 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the company marketed products to underage users, the city announced Friday. The Chicago Department of Public Health will use the money for youth...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Iowa Athletics Department to Cover $4.2M Race Bias Settlement

OWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A race discrimination lawsuit filed against the University of Iowa by former football players will be settled using funds entirely from the school instead of having taxpayer money cover half of the $4.2 million deal, &#823...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Ex-Goldman Banker Faces Insider Trading Trial After Being Cut Off by Bank’s Insurer

A former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. vice president who goes on trial for insider trading in June is scrambling to pay for his legal defense after he was cut off by the bank’s insurers. Brijesh Goel, who has pleaded not …

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Philippines Increases Efforts to Contain Oil Spill From Sunken Tanker

Philippine authorities have increased efforts to contain an oil spill from a sunken fuel tanker that has affected coastal towns and was still spreading, the environment ministry said on Tuesday, as the country grapples with cleanup challenges. Improv...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

New Mexico Lawmakers Seek Assurances Amid Prescribed Burns

Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are looking for assurances from the U.S. Forest Service that the agency is taking preventative measures to ensure that future prescribed fires don’t turn into disasters. They sent a letter...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Scientists: Hawaii’s Kilauea Not Erupting, Reversing Warning

Hawaii’s second–largest volcano is not erupting, scientists said in an update to a previous warning. The U.S. Geological Survey said in a statement that seismic activity beneath the summit of Kilauea “has returned to background levels, gr...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Oregon Closer to Magic Mushroom Medical Therapy

Oregon was taking a major step Friday in its pioneering of legalized psilocybin therapy with the graduation of the first students trained in accompanying patients tripping on psychedelic mushrooms, although a company’s bankruptcy has left anoth...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Specialist Risk Group Acquires Mid-Market Commercial Broker Consort Insurance

Specialist Risk Group (SRG), the London-based insurance broker, announced the acquisition of mid-market commercial broker Consort Insurance, subject to regulatory approval. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Based in Witham, Essex, UK,...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Festival Canceled, Businesses Interrupted as Red Tide, Brown Seaweed Blooms in Florida

Residents are complaining about burning eyes and breathing problems. Dead fish have washed up. A beachside festival has been canceled, even though it wasn’t scheduled for another month. To add to the misery, a giant stretch of brown seaweed is...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Festival Canceled, Businesses Interrupted as Red Tide, Brown Seaweed Hits Florida

Residents are complaining about burning eyes and breathing problems. Dead fish have washed up. A beachside festival has been canceled, even though it wasn’t scheduled for another month. To add to the misery, a giant stretch of brown seaweed is...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Driver Flees After Hitting and Injuring Two Road Workers Near Atlanta

Two road construction workers were hit by a car and seriously injured in suburban Atlanta early Sunday. Police tell local news outlets that the men had gotten out of their vehicle under an overpass in Marietta to set up an …

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

U.S. Commercial Rates Increased in Q4 – But at Slower Pace: WTW

U.S. commercial insurance prices grew in the fourth quarter of 2022 by an average of 4.8%, down from the rate of 5.2% in the previous quarter (Q3 2022), according to WTW’s most recent Commercial Lines Insurance Pricing Survey (CLIPS). The &#823...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Generali Hikes Dividend Payout After Posting Its Best Ever Operating Profit

Italy’s Assicurazioni Generali surprised investors on Tuesday by hiking the dividend payout on its 2022 results after posting its best operating profit ever. Finance chief Cristiano Borean also told reporters the leading Italian insurer had no...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Amgen Sued by Pension Fund for Failing to Disclose $10B Tax Bill on Timely Basis

Amgen Inc. misled investors about its financial health by failing to reveal that it may be on the hook for more than $10 billion in back taxes and penalties, a pension fund claimed in a lawsuit. The Internal Revenue Service …

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

People Moves: Harford Mutual Promotes Officers; Kyer Joins MEMIC; GMI Appoints Hall, Kelly

Harford Mutual Promotes Gearhart, Thames Wayne Gearhart has been promoted from vice president of claims to senior vice president and chief operating officer of Hartford Mutual Insurance Group, headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. Gearhart brings n...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023

Court Rules Uber, Lyft Can Classify Gig Workers as Contractors

Uber Technologies Inc., Lyft Inc. and other gig economy companies scored a victory after a California appeals court upheld the current law classifying gig workers as independent contractors instead of employees. The decision on Monday struck down a l...

Posted: Mar 14, 2023