Yearly Archives: <span>2023</span>

Branch CEO Lekas Announces Layoffs, Cites Inflation, Loss Costs

Branch Insurance has conducted a round of layoffs, according to a June 8 LinkedIn post by co-founder and CEO Steve Lekas. Lekas did not announce the number of employees who were let go, but cited “ongoing challenges facing the insurance …

Bad Press, Claims Issues, Halt on New Business Giving Industry Another Black Eye?

It’s no secret that the U.S. property/casualty insurance industry does not always enjoy a sterling reputation among consumers. As one insurance professor recently put it, the industry’s rank in public opinion is somewhere between that of a personal injury lawyer …

1 Killed, 5 Injured as Driver Crashes Into Subway Sandwich Shop

A car veered into a sandwich shop at a mall near Providence, killing one person and injuring five others, authorities said. The crash happened Wednesday afternoon at a Subway restaurant at the Apple Valley Mall in Greenville, according to police …

Three States Remove All Time Limits on Child Sex Abuse Lawsuits

Ann Allen loved going to church and the after-school social group led by a dynamic priest back in the 1960s. The giggling fun with friends always ended with a game of hide and seek. Each week, the Rev. Lawrence Sabatino …

Lawyers Blame ChatGPT for Tricking Them Into Citing Bogus Case Law

Two apologetic lawyers responding to an angry judge in Manhattan federal court blamed ChatGPT last Thursday for tricking them into including fictitious legal research in a court filing. Attorneys Steven A. Schwartz and Peter LoDuca are facing possible punishment over …

Dave & Buster’s to Pay $275K Over Claims of Meal Break, Child Labor Violations

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office has reached a settlement with Dave & Buster’s, which includes $275,000 for workers, to resolve meal break and child labor violations. Dave & Buster’s operates three locations in Massachusetts in Braintree, Natick and …

Man Sues Alaska Troopers, Says His Job Offer Yanked After HIV Status Revealed

A Salt Lake City man who says his job offer to become an Alaska State Trooper was rescinded after he disclosed he was HIV positive filed a lawsuit in state court Thursday to get his position on the statewide police …

Report Looks at Long COVID Claims in California Workers’ Comp

Roughly 13% of COVID-19 claims with medical payments received treatments for long COVID symptoms in the workers’ compensation system, a new report shows. The Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California released an updated COVID-19 report, Medical Characteristics of COVID-19 …

Judge Rejects 3M Effort to Resolve Earplug Lawsuits in Bankruptcy

A U.S. judge on Friday dismissed the bankruptcy of 3M subsidiary Aearo Technologies, rejecting an effort to resolve nearly 260,000 lawsuits alleging that 3M military earplugs caused hearing loss for veterans and U.S. service members. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey Graham …

The Load: Georgians Prepare for New 88,000-lb. Weight Limits on Trucks

Georgia cities and counties, along with trucking and auto insurance companies, are preparing for the impact of a new law that raises the weight limit of tractor-trailers hauling agricultural and timber products in the state. House Bill 189 was scaled …