Articles by Josh Funk

Nebraska Court: Insurers Must Pay in Pollution Case

The Nebraska Supreme Court on Feb. 5 upheld a decision ordering two insurance companies to pay about $550,000 of the cost of cleaning up industrial contamination in Hastings. The ruling sets the standard in Nebraska for determining how much insurance …

Nebraska High Court Says Worker Can Sue for Parking Lot Injury

A retired Union Pacific conductor can seek compensation for a knee injury because walking into work from the parking lot was part of the conductor’s job, the Nebraska Supreme Court said in a ruling released Dec. 11. The ruling reinstates …

1988 Case in Nebraska Involving Florida Insurance Agency Not Over Yet

After more than a decade and four Nebraska Supreme Court rulings, a new trial may soon be scheduled in a multimillion-dollar insurance dispute between Florida and Countrywide Insurance Agency. Florida is still trying to collect $4.7 million in premiums and …

Aha! Mutual of Omaha and Winfrey Settle Lawsuit

Mutual of Omaha may have had its own “aha moment.” The Omaha, Neb.-based insurance company has decided to settle its lawsuit against Oprah Winfrey’s production company over rights to the phrase. Jim Nolan, a spokesman for Mutual, and Angela DePaul, …

Nebraska High Court: Judge Must Explain Countrywide Insurance Ruling

A judge must explain to the Nebraska Supreme Court why he ordered a new trial in a multimillion dollar insurance dispute involving Florida and Omaha-based Countrywide Insurance Agency. In June 2008, the Supreme Court threw out Douglas County District Judge …

Insurer to Pay Bulk of $900K Settlement in Nebraska Fraud Case

A group of more than 200 investors who believe they were defrauded by their Nebraska-based brokers will share roughly $900,000 in a settlement with one of their brokers’ former employers. The company’s insurer,Quanta Specialty Lines Insurance Co., will pay most …

Nebraska Trial in Florida Insolvent Insurer Case Put on Hold

The Nebraska Supreme Court has ordered a judge to put a new trial on hold in a multimillion-dollar insurance dispute and follow the high court’s ruling from last summer. Last June, the Supreme Court threw out the nearly $4.7 million …

Berkshire Closes on Deal for 2 White Mountains’ Insurers in Runoff

Billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. owns two more insurance companies after completing a deal with White Mountains Insurance Group. Documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission show the companies consummated the deal last Friday. It was announced in …

Berkshire Hathaway 1Q Net Income Up 12%; Equitas Deal Boosts Insurance

Billionaire Warren Buffett’s holding company reported Friday that its net income jumped 12 percent during the first quarter because of strong performances in its insurance and utility divisions. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. said it earned $2.6 billion (euro1.92 billion), or $1,682 …

At Buffet’s Diversified Berkshire Hathaway, Insurance Still #1

The mix of companies and investments billionaire Warren Buffett’s company holds makes some people think investing in Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is a bit like buying shares of a mutual fund that emphasizes insurance. But some analysts say that’s not the …