Insurance Journal » Lawsuits http://www.insurancejournal.com Insurance Journal delivers the latest business news for the Property/Casualty insurance industry Thu, 23 May 2013 14:59:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 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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]]> 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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]]> Midwest AGs Go After Storm-Chasing Roofing Companies http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/05/15/291969.htm Wed, 15 May 2013 15:27:24 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291969 The attorneys general of Illinois, Kansas and Ohio are targeting storm-chasing roofing companies in their states with legal actions. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit against a Chicago-area home repair firm for allegedly failing to complete contracted projects …

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]]> West Fertilizer Investigators: Ammonium Nitrate Detonated in Explosion http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/05/07/291145.htm Tue, 07 May 2013 16:54:29 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291145 While the investigation into the origin and cause of the West Fertilizer Plant fire and explosion in West, Texas, is ongoing, investigators say that ammonium nitrate was detonated in the explosion. However, they don’t know how the explosion was initiated. …

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]]> Missouri House OKs Bill Focused on Injured Worker Fund http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/05/07/291131.htm Tue, 07 May 2013 16:27:25 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=291131 Missouri House members advanced legislation that seeks to replenish an insolvent fund for disabled workers while also preventing people who experience job-related illnesses from filing civil lawsuits. Both elements are designed to address consequences from a 2005 overhaul to Missouri’s …

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]]> Lawsuits from Texas Fertilizer Plant Blast now Total 6 http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/04/29/290095.htm Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:04:20 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=290095 The deadly Central Texas fertilizer facility explosion has now spawned six lawsuits, including one from the family of a volunteer firefighter killed in the blast. Fourteen people died and more than 200 were injured by the April 17 blast in …

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]]> Struggling Idaho Alt Energy Company Sued Again http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/04/26/289851.htm Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:19:22 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=289851 An Idaho alternative energy company beset by lawsuits faces another one, this time from a bike race that says it hasn’t been paid millions in promised sponsorship money. Exergy Development Group of Boise and its owner, James Carkulis, were sued …

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]]> Colorado Lawmakers Consider Worker Discrimination Claims http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/04/19/289189.htm Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:49:09 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=289189 A proposal to increase legal remedies for employee discrimination at small businesses in Colorado got initial approval by House Democrats on Wednesday, drawing strong opposition from Republicans who argue it will hurt employers. Democrats say the bill’s goal is to …

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]]> San Francisco Cable Car Accidents Costs Millions http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/04/15/288380.htm Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:53:55 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=288380 In this city of innumerable tourist attractions, the clanging, hill-conquering cable cars stand out as a top draw. The quaint conveyances also stand out for the inordinate number of accidents and the millions of dollars annually the city pays out …

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]]> Montana Counties Say DES Requirements Overly Burdensome http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/04/11/288091.htm Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:23:03 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=288091 The troubled agency responsible for preparing Montana for emergencies has been beset by lawsuits by former employees, claims of a dysfunctional work environment and now complaints that overly burdensome and shifting regulations are causing headaches for several counties. Montana Disaster …

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]]> Washington Weighs Compensation for Wrongful Convictions http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/04/09/287756.htm Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:19:33 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=287756 Alan Northrop anxiously waits outside a Senate committee hearing, his girlfriend rubbing his shoulders and whispering words of support as he prepares to sign in to testify about nearly two decades of freedom lost. “Oh boy, here we go,” he …

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]]> New Mexico Governor Signs Space Travel Liability Bill http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/04/03/287015.htm Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:30:24 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=287015 New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez on Tuesday signed into law liability-waiving legislation aimed at saving the state’s nearly quarter-billion-dollar investment in a futuristic spaceport and retaining its anchor tenant, British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic. The new law exempts spacecraft …

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]]> Oregon Governor Signs Medical-Error Mediation Bill http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/03/20/285279.htm Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:28:12 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=285279 Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has signed a bill creating a new mediation process for patients injured by medical mistakes. Kitzhaber signed the measure Monday flanked by legislators and the leaders of the Oregon Medical Association and the Oregon Trial Lawyers …

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]]> Regulations Proposed in Texas for Lawsuit Financing http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/03/20/285250.htm Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:08:40 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=285250 Texas lawmakers are seeking to rein in lenders who finance lawsuits. Under a bill considered in the Texas House Committee on the Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence, the lenders would have to abide by regulations that already apply to many other …

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]]> Iowa County Settles Lawsuits Over Strip Searches http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/03/15/284922.htm Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:46:24 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=284922 Woodbury County officials in northwest Iowa have decided to pay three women a total of $385,000 to settle their lawsuits over strip searches at the county jail. Woodbury County Board Chairman Larry Clausen said the board settled rather than risk …

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]]> Arizona Law On Medical Malpractice Suits Upheld http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/03/14/284736.htm Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:49:34 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=284736 A new Arizona Supreme Court ruling upholds a state law that seeks to screen out flimsy medical-malpractice suits by requiring that plaintiffs have a testifying witness from the same medical specialty as the doctor being sued. The court’s unanimous ruling …

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]]> Southern California School District Settles Lewd ‘Tasting Games’ Claims http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/03/14/284732.htm Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:47:19 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=284732 The Los Angeles school district will pay millions of dollars to settle claims and lawsuits filed by students and families from an elementary school where a third-grade teacher was accused of spoon-feeding children semen in what he called “tasting games,” …

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]]> Montana Panel Hears Wrongful Birth, Life Bill http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/03/13/284555.htm Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:23:16 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=284555 A Senate panel is considering a bill that would prohibit the parents of children with genetic abnormalities from suing their doctors for withholding that information from them before birth. House Bill 310 sponsored by Republican Rep. Cary Smith of Billings …

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]]> Activist Brockovich to Speak with Residents Near Louisiana Sinkhole http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southcentral/2013/03/07/283992.htm Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:58:07 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=283992 Environmental activist Erin Brockovich and a California attorney hired by a group of Assumption Parish, La., residents are coming to Pierre Part to discuss the legal options for residents evacuated from the Bayou Corne area due to a giant sinkhole. …

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]]> Attorneys In Montana Asbestos Settlement Seek $4M In Fees http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/02/25/282550.htm Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:17:53 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=282550 Attorneys for asbestos victims in a Montana mining town are seeking more than $4 million in fees and expenses out of a legal settlement with chemical company W.R. Grace that was intended to cover the victims’ ongoing medical costs. State …

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]]> Idaho Forest Companies Seek Lawsuit Protections http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/02/21/282201.htm Thu, 21 Feb 2013 16:24:10 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=282201 Idaho’s private forestry companies want to buttress their protections against federal wildfire lawsuits that they say have been costly for companies elsewhere. Idaho Forest Group lobbyist Jeremy Chou told the House Resources Committee Tuesday his client’s measure restates Idaho’s law …

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]]> Missouri House Panel Mulls Bill on Work Discrimination Lawsuits http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/02/13/281144.htm Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:43:39 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=281144 Republicans are hoping the third time is a charm for a measure a Missouri House committee considered that would make it harder for employees to win lawsuits alleging workplace discrimination. Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon has vetoed similar legislation each of …

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]]> Inmate Lawsuits Cost California $200M http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/02/12/280962.htm Tue, 12 Feb 2013 16:56:22 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=280962 Gov. Jerry Brown has begun aggressively challenging federal court oversight of California’s prison system by highlighting what he says is a costly conflict of interest: The private law firms representing inmates and the judges’ own hand-picked authorities benefit financially by …

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]]> California AG Sues Apparel Makers in China and India over Pirated Software http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/west/2013/01/24/278657.htm Thu, 24 Jan 2013 21:15:52 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=278657 California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris filed lawsuits on Thursday against two international apparel manufacturers for gaining an unfair advantage over American companies by using pirated software in the production of clothing imported and sold in the state. The companies, …

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]]> Chicago Closer to Settling Police Misconduct Suits for $32M http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2013/01/17/277748.htm Thu, 17 Jan 2013 06:18:36 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=277748 A Chicago City Council committee has preliminarily approved settlements in two police misconduct cases that would cost the city nearly $33 million, including $22.5 million for a California woman that apparently would be the largest payout to a single such …

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]]> Instagram Furor Triggers First Class Action Lawsuit http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/12/26/275101.htm Wed, 26 Dec 2012 16:13:48 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=275101 Facebook’s Instagram photo sharing service has been hit with what appears to be the first civil lawsuit to result from changed service terms that prompted howls of protest last week. In a proposed class action lawsuit filed in San Francisco …

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]]> Lawsuits Cast Darker Shadow Over Banks Than Libor Fines http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/12/21/274950.htm Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:47:34 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=274950 While banks appear to be brushing off record fines for rigging interbank interest rates, investors are starting to worry about a rising tide of civil lawsuits from disgruntled customers. UBS shares touched 18 month highs after U.S., Swiss and British …

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]]> Asbestos Lawsuit Disclosure Bill Heads to Ohio Governor http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2012/12/13/273913.htm Thu, 13 Dec 2012 17:24:12 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=273913 A bill headed to the Ohio governor aims to curb duplicate lawsuits over on-the-job asbestos exposure in a state with one of the nation’s largest backlogs of such cases. A spokesman for Gov. John Kasich said he will sign the …

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]]> States Plan to Sue EPA Over Greenhouse Gas Regulations http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2012/12/12/273644.htm Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:12:54 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=273644 A coalition of seven eastern states led by New York plans to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to issue new guidelines to curb methane emissions, a greenhouse gas that may be linked to climate change. In a …

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]]> Ohio Senate Panel Advances Asbestos Lawsuit Bill http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2012/12/06/273004.htm Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:35:27 +0000 http://www.insurancejournal.com/?p=273004 An Ohio Senate committee advanced a bill on Dec. 4 aimed at curbing duplicate lawsuits over on-the-job asbestos exposure in a state with one of the largest backlogs of such cases in the nation. The bill cleared the committee along …

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