Insurance Journal » West News http://www.insurancejournal.com Insurance Journal delivers the latest business news for the Property/Casualty insurance industry Wed, 22 May 2013 15:22:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 Colorado Stoned-Driving Bill Attracts Lawsuit http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/22/292960.htm Wed, 22 May 2013 15:22:50 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292960 A frequent marijuana user who says Colorado’s pending pot DUI legislation violates the constitution is suing to block the bill. Brandon Baker, of Nunn, said he uses marijuana for religious reasons and that the blood limit at which drivers would …

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]]> Edison, CPUC Reach $37M Settlement on Southern California Fire http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/22/292958.htm Wed, 22 May 2013 15:21:00 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292958 The California Public Utilities Commission has reached a proposed $37 million settlement with Southern California Edison over fallen power lines blamed for starting the October 2007 Malibu Canyon Fire. Santa Ana winds knocked three jointly owned utility poles to the …

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]]> McDonald-Leavitt Names Heglin Benefits Specialist in California http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/21/292847.htm Tue, 21 May 2013 17:45:09 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292847 Santa Rosa, Calif.-based McDonald-Leavitt Insurance Agency named Steve Heglin as a benefits specialist. Prior to joining the agency he worked for MetLife.  Heglin previously owned a real estate appraisal company. McDonald-Leavitt Insurance Agency is part of the Leavitt Group.

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]]> Utah Workers Comp Fund Distributes $8 Million Dividend http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/21/292817.htm Tue, 21 May 2013 16:33:35 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292817 The board of directors for Utah’s Workers Compensation Fund declared a dividend to be distributed to a majority of policyholders in May. Policyholders can expect to receive 5 percent of their 2012 earned premium. With this distribution, WCF will have …

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]]> Bill Ensures Paid Family Leave For California Workers http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/21/292800.htm Tue, 21 May 2013 16:15:22 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292800 California businesses would be prohibited from firing or retaliating against employees who take advantage of the state’s paid family leave program under a job-protection bill moving through the Legislature. The legislation would protect workers who use the California Paid Family …

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]]> Proposed California Measure Requires Doctor Drug Tests http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/21/292797.htm Tue, 21 May 2013 16:11:35 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292797 A proposed state ballot measure in California would require doctors to be randomly subjected to drug and alcohol testing. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the “Pee in the Cup” initiative is being pushed by Bob Pack, a technology mogul and …

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]]> Vallette Joins Barney & Barney in San Francisco http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/21/292792.htm Tue, 21 May 2013 15:55:39 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292792 Barney & Barney LLC has hired insurance executive Sarah Vallette  for its office in San Francisco. Vallette will work with a team of professionals offering commercial property/casualty insurance, employee benefits, workers’ compensation, compensation consulting, executive liability, personal lines and surety. …

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]]> Follmer to Head Health Care Practice for Woodruff Sawyer in California http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/20/292753.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 23:29:18 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292753 Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. named Chad Follmer health care practice Leader. Follmer has focused his 20-year career on insurance and risk management strategies developing and leading platforms to serve health care organizations and life sciences companies. He has lead several practices …

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]]> D.C. Lobbyist Gannon to Head Federal Affairs for Farmers Insurance http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/20/292746.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 17:46:41 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292746 Washington, D.C. lobbyist Matt Gannon was named head of federal affairs at Farmers Insurance. Gannon replaces Mike Moran, who left Los Angeles, Calif.-based Farmers to take a position with Zurich North America as assistant vice president of government Affairs. Gannon joins Farmers …

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]]> SGB-NIA Insurance Brokers Launches Workplace Safety Program http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/20/292734.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 16:53:47 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292734 SGB-NIA Insurance Brokers has launched a workers compensation safety program – Three Sixty Safety – designed for implementation into current safety protocol that provides training, education and claim assistance when necessary. Three Sixty Safety is part of SGB-NIA’s “Road to …

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]]> Project CAP Selects Phoenix Agency for Agency 2020 Program http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/20/292727.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 16:39:48 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292727 Hester, Heitel & Associates, an independent insurance agency in Phoenix, has been chosen as the spotlight agency to represent Project CAP’s Agency 2020 program. Agency 2020 was designed to provide independent agencies with resources to help them implement a long-term …

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]]> Injured Workers Opioid Use on Rise in California, Washington http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/20/292533.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 16:10:57 +0000 Don Jergler http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292533 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 Washington and California are among states in the U.S. Western Region that have publicly struggled with …

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]]> Group Sues EPA To Force Utah To Clean Air Faster http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/20/292679.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 16:08:15 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292679 An environmental group is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, claiming it hasn’t pushed Utah hard enough to clean up air pollution across urban areas of northern Utah. WildEarth Guardians says the EPA let Utah skip a December deadline to …

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]]> Panel Solicits Applicants For New Mexico Insurance Regulator http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/20/292676.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 16:06:58 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292676 Former State Insurance Superintendent Chris Krahling has been named to a panel that will select New Mexico’s top insurance regulator. A nine-member committee will select the next superintendent of insurance, who starting in July will be in charge of an …

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]]> California Health Exchange Also Will Offer Voter Registration http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/20/292674.htm Mon, 20 May 2013 16:04:55 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292674 California will become the first state to offer voter registration through its health insurance marketplace later this year. Millions of Californians will get the chance to register at the same time they are buying insurance under the federal Affordable Care …

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]]> Montana Man Deliberately Crashes Into Insurance Office http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/17/292475.htm Fri, 17 May 2013 15:51:53 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292475 Police in Missoula, Mont. say a man who rammed his sport utility vehicle into an insurance office three times was apparently expressing his frustration with the insurance industry. Police say the driver rammed the building Tuesday and then twice backed …

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]]> Arizona Insurance Agency Chosen for Agency 2020 http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/17/292464.htm Fri, 17 May 2013 15:19:36 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292464 Hester, Heitel & Associates, an independent insurance agency in Phoenix, Ariz. was chosen to represent “the path to the future for all independent agencies,” announced Consumer Agent Portal LLC, also known as Project CAP, creator of the Agency 2020 program. …

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]]> Peterson Joins Elliott, Powell, Baden & Baker in Oregon http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/17/292458.htm Fri, 17 May 2013 15:02:39 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292458 Chris Peterson has recently joined Elliott, Powell, Baden & Baker Insurance in Oregon as a commercial insurance producer. Peterson is past president of the Professional Insurance Agents of Oregon and Idaho.  He has nearly 15 years of experience insuring Northwest …

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]]> Five Arrested In California Million-Dollar Mobile Phone Insurance Scam http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/17/292452.htm Fri, 17 May 2013 14:54:38 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292452 Five Northern California residents were arrested by California Department of Insurance fraud investigators and booked into the Sacramento County jail and charged with multiple felony counts related to alleged insurance fraud totaling nearly $1 million, according to CDI. Investigators allege …

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]]> Report: New Mexico Facing Medical Access Difficulties http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/16/292239.htm Thu, 16 May 2013 15:42:57 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292239 New Mexicans could have longer waits for a doctor or specialist as demand grows for medical services because of an aging population and expanded insurance coverage under a federal health care law, legislative auditors said Wednesday. A report released by …

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]]> U.S. Judge in Oregon Dismisses Movie Pirating Lawsuit http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/16/292236.htm Thu, 16 May 2013 15:41:19 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292236 A federal judge has dismissed a movie company’s Internet piracy complaint against 34 Oregonians, saying the company was unfairly using the court’s subpoena power in a “reverse class-action suit” to save on legal expenses and possibly to intimidate defendants into …

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]]> Oregon City Employee Suing Over Co-Worker Scent http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/16/292234.htm Thu, 16 May 2013 15:37:47 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292234 A Portland employee is suing the city, claiming she was sickened by a co-worker’s scented fragrance. The lawsuit from Bureau of Maintenance worker Julie Reynolds seeks $50,000 in damages. She has a condition called “multiple chemical sensitivity” that can be …

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]]> Wyoming Lawmakers Weigh Alcohol Testing For Drunk Drivers http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/16/292232.htm Thu, 16 May 2013 15:35:56 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292232 Wyoming lawmakers are looking into legislation that would keep repeat offenders of alcohol-related crimes out of jail and subject them instead to stringent testing. The Joint Judiciary Interim Committee heard details about the 24/7 Sobriety Program in Jackson on Monday. …

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]]> Jury Sides With Businessman in Vegas Sands Lawsuit http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/16/292229.htm Thu, 16 May 2013 15:33:41 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292229 A jury on Tuesday awarded a Hong Kong businessman a $70 million judgment against Las Vegas Sands Corp., the casino giant run by billionaire Sheldon Adelson. Richard Suen claimed he was owed up to $328 million for helping the Las …

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]]> Montana Disaster Services Chief Of Staff Resigns http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/15/292005.htm Wed, 15 May 2013 16:04:01 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292005 Paul Grimstad, the chief of staff for the embattled Montana Disaster and Emergency Services, submitted his resignation Monday, an agency spokesman said. Grimstad will leave the agency on June 30, said Maj. Tim Crowe of the Department of Military Affairs. …

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]]> Livermore Lab Jury Awards $2.7 Million For Wrongful Termination http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/15/292003.htm Wed, 15 May 2013 16:01:53 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=292003 A jury has awarded more than $2.7 million to five former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory workers in an ongoing wrongful-termination case. The San Francisco Chronicle reported jurors awarded the workers reimbursement for their lost wages after finding that the lab …

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]]> State Senate OKs California Ski Safety Legislation http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/15/291995.htm Wed, 15 May 2013 15:59:55 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291995 The state Senate passed a bill that would require California ski resorts to prepare an annual safety plan and post those reports on their websites. Lawmakers passed SB564 on a 24-8 partisan vote. The bill by Democratic Sen. Bill Monning …

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]]> Utah Bans Teen Drivers From Using Cellphones http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/15/291989.htm Wed, 15 May 2013 15:57:22 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291989 Before she pulls out of the driveway, Stefhany Robles switches her phone on silent or turns it off. The 16-year-old junior at Salt Lake City’s West High School says the distraction isn’t worth shooting off a text or answering a …

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]]> Skantharaja Named President of Tangram in Northern California http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/15/291965.htm Wed, 15 May 2013 15:15:10 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291965 Managing General Agency Tangram Insurance Services has named Rekha Skantharaja president. Skantharaja will be working to expand the company’s existing programs, as well as to develop new programs nationally. Skantharaja has more than a decade of experience in the insurance …

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]]> Woodruff-Sawyer Chair Transitions From Morton To Loar http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/05/15/291945.htm Wed, 15 May 2013 14:49:54 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291945 San Francisco, Calif.-based Woodruff-Sawyer & Co. announced today that Stan Loar will become the chairman of the board and Doug Morton will transition from the role of chairman to become executive director. Charlie Rosson will continue as CEO. As executive …

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