Insurance Journal » Southeast News http://www.insurancejournal.com Insurance Journal delivers the latest business news for the Property/Casualty insurance industry Sat, 25 May 2013 03:50:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Guest Workers in Mississippi Sue Company, Claim Exploitation http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/24/293206.htm Fri, 24 May 2013 14:05:00 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=293206 Dozens of Indian guest workers are suing a U.S.-based marine and fabrication company, saying it financially exploited them and forced them to live in squalid conditions after bringing them to work at Gulf Coast shipyards after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. …

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]]> Judge Recuses Herself from West Virginia University Degree Lawsuit http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/24/293204.htm Fri, 24 May 2013 14:01:22 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=293204 U.S. District Judge Irene Keeley has disqualified herself from hearing a lawsuit filed over a 6-year-old degree scandal at West Virginia University, citing a federal statute that requires judges to step aside if their impartiality could be questioned. The order …

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]]> Sharkproof part 3 – Influence http://www.insurancejournal.com/uncategorized/2013/05/23/293138.htm Thu, 23 May 2013 19:05:50 +0000 David Connolly http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=293138                              Shark Proof The three I’s in Shark proofing are Insulation –Investment – Influence In the first two installments, we covered Insulation & Investment. Today I finish the series with Influence. As you remember, a ” Shark”  is what I …

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]]> Florida Municipal Insurance Trust Issues $20 Million Cat Bond http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/23/293074.htm Thu, 23 May 2013 14:59:27 +0000 Michael Adams http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=293074 A Florida insurance trust that provides property insurance and other products to cities around the state has issued a $20 million private placement catastrophe bond to help pay claims due to hurricanes. Towers Watson Capital Markets, a wholly-owned subsidiary of …

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]]> North Carolina Man Charged with Insurance Fraud http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/23/293071.htm Thu, 23 May 2013 13:46:35 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=293071 North Carolina authorities have accused a Lincoln County man of filing a fake report of a stolen motorcycle and trailer to get money from an insurance company. The Charlotte Observer reported that 38-year-old William Minford Chatham III of Vale is …

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]]> Mills of Willis Joins AmWINS Workers’ Compensation Unit, American Equity http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/22/292991.htm Wed, 22 May 2013 16:44:01 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292991 Andrea Mills has joined American Equity Underwriters (AEU) in Mobile, Alabama as senior vice president and director of Strategic Business Development. AEU is a division of wholesale broker AmWINS Group, based in Charlotte, North Carolina. AEU specializes in workers’ compensation …

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]]> Georgia’s Denham Agency Joins Keystone Group http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/22/292951.htm Wed, 22 May 2013 15:01:13 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292951 The Denham Agency, an Americus-based insurance agency, has become the 14th Keystone Insurers Group partner in Georgia. The Denham Agency was established in 1984 by current president Mike Denham. In 2011, the agency formed a satellite office in Cordele, Georgia. …

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]]> Miami-Dade School Officers Settle Sex Abuse Claims Against Police Chief http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/22/292948.htm Wed, 22 May 2013 14:57:02 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292948 Two female police officers with the Miami-Dade County school system have settled lawsuits accusing the former police chief of sexually harassing them. Cmdr. Deanna Fox-Williams and Officer Yewande Gibson claimed in the lawsuits that former chief Charles Hurley asked them …

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]]> Costs Outpace Resources for Volunteer Firefighters in Mississippi http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/22/292944.htm Wed, 22 May 2013 14:45:12 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292944 Fire trucks and other firefighting equipment cost a lot of money, and prices are rising, so Warren County volunteer districts are looking to possibly seek an increase in property taxes. “We’re getting squeezed and squeezed by costs,” said Chuck Tate, …

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]]> Tennessee City Debates Red Light Cameras http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/21/292774.htm Tue, 21 May 2013 13:36:21 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292774 A group in Murfreesboro has started a petition to end the use of red-light cameras, but police say the traffic enforcement measure has improve safety. Middle Tennessee State University student Axl David, who heads Citizens Against Photo Enforcement, said he …

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]]> Alabama Corrects Vehicle Title Snafu http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/21/292772.htm Tue, 21 May 2013 13:33:23 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292772 The Alabama Revenue Department said it has corrected about 15,000 Alabama car titles that were erroneously sent to vehicle owners instead of vehicle lienholders. The state Revenue Department’s motor vehicle division reports the mistake happened during four days in late …

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]]> South Carolina Store Owner Found Guilty of Insurance Fraud http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/20/292629.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 14:12:15 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292629 A South Carolina jury has found a Hartsville  store owner guilty of faking an assault and setting fire to her own store to get insurance money. The Morning News of Florence reported a judge sentenced 47-year-old Claudette Hulsey to three …

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]]> Alabama Supreme Court Upholds $3.2 Million Malpractice Verdict http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/20/292607.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 12:46:03 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292607 The Alabama Supreme Court has reinstated a $3.2 million malpractice verdict awarded to the estate of a Montgomery woman who died in 2005 after being treated at the Baptist East Emergency Room in Montgomery. Lauree Durden Ellison had visited the …

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]]> Court Nixes Mississippi Property Owners’ Greenhouse Gases Damages Suit http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/20/292435.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:49 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292435 A federal appeals panel has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by a group of Mississippi Gulf Coast residents and landowners who alleged that emissions by energy companies contributed to global warming, which intensified Hurricane Katrina, which, in turn, …

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]]> New Lawsuit Filed Against West Virginia University in Degree Scandal http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/20/292440.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 09:00:26 +0000 Vicki Smith http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292440 Two former business school deans caught up in a master’s degree scandal six years ago are suing West Virginia University again, arguing the school has ignored its obligation to repair their tarnished reputations. Former dean Stephen Sears and former associate …

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]]> Florida Catastrophe Fund Financially Stronger on Eve of Hurricane Season http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/17/292430.htm Fri, 17 May 2013 14:52:44 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292430 Florida is heading into a new storm season with some good news for once. The state-created fund that backs up private insurers in Florida is in the best financial shape it has been in years — maybe the best since …

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]]> Southeastern States Battle Against Prescription Drug/Opioid Abuse http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/17/292552.htm Fri, 17 May 2013 10:13:07 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292552 Editor’s Note: This is part of a team report on opioid use by injured workers. For the national story read: Opioid Epidemic Plagues Workers’ Comp Deaths from prescription drug overdoses jumped 360 percent in the last decade in the Appalachian region …

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]]> North Carolina Bill Targets Drivers Who Pass School Buses http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/17/292265.htm Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:16 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292265 North Carolina lawmakers want to increase the consequences for drivers who fail to stop for school buses picking up or dropping off students. The bill approved unanimously by the House would require those convicted of the misdemeanor charge to receive …

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]]> Parents Sue South Carolina Over Child’s Sex Surgery http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/17/292273.htm Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:09 +0000 Meg Kinnard http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292273 A couple filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the state of South Carolina for what they say was an unnecessary sexual assignment surgery performed on a toddler they later adopted. Lawyers for Pam and Mark Crawford said they were suing the …

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]]> Insurers Pay $600K in Small Town West Virginia Racism Case http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/16/292258.htm Thu, 16 May 2013 16:14:06 +0000 Vicki Smith http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292258 Insurance companies will pay $600,000 to a former officer who sued the Sophia Police Department over claims he was harassed and fired because he is black, Mayor Danny Barr said. That payout is more than the small West Virginia town’s …

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]]> Report: Ship Crew Ignored Warnings Before Hitting Kentucky Bridge http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/16/292189.htm Thu, 16 May 2013 13:48:25 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292189 The pilot and crew members aboard a cargo ship had reservations about the boat’s course shortly before it struck a bridge over the Tennessee River, but no one stepped up to check written or electronic charts against what they were …

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]]> Mississippi High School Suffered $7M in Tornado Damage http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/15/291942.htm Wed, 15 May 2013 14:33:49 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291942 Lamar County (Mississippi) School District officials said a Feb. 10 tornado caused $7 million in damage to Oak Grove High and its baseball and football facilities. The Hattiesburg-American reported that the district has a $50,000 insurance deductible it hopes to …

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]]> Alabama University Launches Cyber Threat Detection Company http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/15/291931.htm Wed, 15 May 2013 13:16:28 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291931 In a private-public partnership, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has launched Malcovery, an intelligence company specializing in cyber threat detection, to help businesses protect themselves from cyberattacks. Malcovery uses patented forensic technology to identify the source and nature …

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]]> Georgia Regulator to Host Hurricane Preparedness Expo on June 15 http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/14/291800.htm Tue, 14 May 2013 14:03:37 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291800 The hurricane season is almost here and Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens is inviting the public to attend the 12th Annual Hurricane Preparedness Expo on June 15.This free event will be held at The Home Depot located at 1901 E. …

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]]> N.C. Commissioner Goodwin Seeking Apology Over Health Official’s Remark http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/14/291787.htm Tue, 14 May 2013 06:40:07 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291787 North Carolina’s Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin is publicly calling for an apology from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services Secretary over a remark in which the health official allegedly held Commissioner Goodwin responsible for the state’s rejection of …

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]]> Labor Union Report: 43 Killed on the Job in West Virginia in 2011 http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/13/291783.htm Tue, 14 May 2013 01:49:34 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291783 A new labor union report says 43 workers were killed on the job in 2011 in West Virginia, down from 95 the previous year that included a mine blast that killed 29. According to the report by the AFL-CIO, there …

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]]> State Farm Appeals Katrina Fraud Ruling in Mississippi http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/13/291755.htm Mon, 13 May 2013 16:54:40 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291755 State Farm Fire and Casualty Co. is asking a judge to void a jury’s finding that the company defrauded the government involving a policyholder claim after Hurricane Katrina. Motions filed in U.S. District Court in Gulfport, Miss., also seek a …

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]]> Crime Victim Fund Eligibility Expands in Mississippi http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/13/291736.htm Mon, 13 May 2013 16:36:41 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291736 The family of a student killed or injured while boarding or exiting a school bus in Mississippi can now qualify to receive money from the state Crime Victim Compensation Fund. House Bill 710 expands the eligibility for the fund. It …

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]]> West Virginia Man Convicted of Burning Duplex for Insurance http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/13/291685.htm Mon, 13 May 2013 15:34:04 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291685 A federal jury in West Virginia has convicted a Logan County man of burning his duplex to collect insurance money. U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said on that 58-year-old Michael L. White of Chapmanville, W. Va., was found guilty of conspiracy …

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]]> Siewert Named Chief Operating Officer at Florida’s Prepared Insurance http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2013/05/13/291470.htm Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:01 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291470 Prepared Insurance Co., a Florida domestic insurer, recently named Stephanie E. Siewert as its chief operating officer. Siewert joined the company in 2009 as vice president of sales and marketing and helped complete the capital raised to launch the company. …

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