Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
$30M Settlement with Bristol-Myers Squibb in California Whistleblower Suit
Jul 18 2016 // California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones reached a $30 million settlement with pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb over allegations of drug marketing fraud and physician kickbacks. The settlement stems from...
Federal Government Sues California Homeowner for $25M over Wildfire
Jul 18 2016 // The federal government is suing a California homeowner for nearly $25 million, contending his negligence sparked a 2013 fire in the mountains east of Los Angeles that forced 5,000 people from their homes. The lawsuit says...
Climate Change Exposes U.S. Infrastructure to Natural Hazards, Rand Corp. Says
Jul 14 2016 // Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part column. A follow up column will focus on how catastrophe modelers are being asked to create products that take into account potential climate change impacts. A report...
California Governor Wants to Expand Efforts on Climate Change
Jul 13 2016 // California Gov. Jerry Brown has launched a campaign to extend some of the most ambitious climate-change programs in the country and ensure his environmental legacy when he leaves office in two years. The centerpiece of the...
California Agent Allegedly Took $100K from Employer And Clients
Jul 12 2016 // Suren Hovhannisyan, 27, a licensed insurance agent of North Hollywood, Calif., was arrested at his residence this week on multiple felony counts of burglary, grand theft, and unauthorized use of access cards after...
More California Drivers Spotted Using Cellphones, Traffic Report Shows
Jul 11 2016 // The number of California drivers using cellphones is rising, as are deaths and injuries blamed on distracted driving. The California Office of Traffic Safety reported in late June that nearly 13 percent of drivers were...
Judge in California Approves Lyft’s $27M Driver Settlement Deal
Jul 11 2016 // A U.S. judge granted preliminary approval to ride service Lyft’s $27 million settlement of a class action lawsuit brought by California drivers who claimed they should be deemed employees instead of independent...
Judge Allows Bulk of Starbucks Suit in California over Lattes to Proceed
Jul 11 2016 // A federal judge is allowing the bulk of a lawsuit accusing Starbucks of systematically under-filling lattes to move forward. Two California residents are suing the Seattle-based coffee chain, claiming that Starbucks lattes...
California’s Last Nuke Plant Would Be Closed by 2025 Under Deal
Jul 11 2016 // California’s last nuclear power plant will close by 2025 under an accord announced in June, ending three decades of safety debates that helped fuel the national anti-nuclear power movement. The state’s largest...
Applied Underwriters’ Workers’ Comp Business Faulted by California Regulator
Jul 11 2016 // California’s insurance commissioner said in late June a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. insurance business evaded a state law designed to protect small businesses from unexpected workers’ compensation...
Minor Quake Shakes Remote California Farm Country
Jul 8 2016 // A minor earthquake has shaken farmland in California’s Imperial County south of the Salton Sea. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 5:55 a.m. Thursday quake had a preliminary magnitude of 3.7 and was centered four...
California Workers’ Comp is Biased Against Women, Suit States
Jul 8 2016 // California’s workers’ compensation system discriminates against women by judging benefits on the basis of stereotypes and ignoring harm done to women – such as refusing permanent benefits when a woman loses a...
California Insurers Group Hopes Governor Signs Airbnb Bill
Jul 8 2016 // Another bill dealing with the sharing economy is headed to the California governor’s desk. A bill to ensure homeowners and renters offering rooms for rent on hosting platforms like Airbnb and Home Away understand...
CSE Insurance Group Releases New Landlord Insurance Product in California
Jul 7 2016 // CSE Insurance Group, a West Coast property and casualty insurance provider, has released a new landlord insurance product to address the complete needs of landlords. The coverage is currently available in California, but...
Former NFL Player Arrested in California for Staged Collision Scheme
Jul 6 2016 // Former Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receiver Jeffrey Leon Webb, 34, of Indio, was arrested on multiple felony counts after orchestrating four staged collisions resulting in a total loss exceeding $139,000. Webb and eight...
California School District Didn’t Supervise Special Needs Boy, Lawsuit Says
Jul 6 2016 // A California mother has filed a second lawsuit against a school district, saying it failed to keep her special needs son safe even after losing the first lawsuit and agreeing to improve his supervision. The Bay Area New...
Wildfire Threat in California, Southwest High in July
Jul 5 2016 // Forecasters say the threat of wildfires will remain high in Southern California and the Southwest this month because of persistent drought and because summer rains may not be as consistent as usual. The National...
California School District Paying $10.5M in Chicken Suit Attack
Jul 1 2016 // A California school district has agreed to pay $10.5 million to a former student who suffered brain damage when he was mobbed while wearing a chicken costume at a pep rally. Kern County High School District agreed to the...
Capital Insurance Group in California Names Janitschke Chief Actuary
Jul 1 2016 // Monterey, Calif-based Capital Insurance Group has named Brian Janitschke chief actuary. His responsibilities will include directing the actuarial functions. As a member of the executive team, he also will be accountable...
California Commissioner Issues Cease and Desist Order to Applied
Jul 1 2016 // Update: The California Department of Insurance originally issued a cease and desist notice, not an order as is reported below. Due to wording in a press release issued from CDI, several news outlets reported an order was...
