Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana Bill Cuts Citizens Insurance Assessment Rebate
Jul 11 2016 // Legislation awaiting the signature of Louisiana’s governor significantly lowers the amount of rebate that property insurance policyholders would receive for assessments to cover the debts of the state’s...
Texas Insurers Look to Courts for Hope in Stemming Hail-Related Lawsuits
Jul 11 2016 // Following a severe hailstorm in south Texas in 2012, insurers were beset with homeowner property lawsuits – sometimes after claims were paid and repairs were completed, according to an insurer trade group. Since then,...
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...
QBE, Marsh Consider the Brexit-Effect
Jul 11 2016 // QBE Insurance Group announced last month that it will be reviewing its UK-based operations in light of the UK leaving the European Union. “The referendum outcome may require a revised approach in relation to...
Declarations
Jul 11 2016 // Moped Safety “Literally, you can be stinking drunk on a moped and can’t be arrested.” —South Carolina State Sen. Greg Hembree, in response to the lack of regulation for mopeds. Gov. Nikki Haley vetoed a...
New Jersey Judge Orders Safety Plan for Rail Cars with Propane
Jul 8 2016 // A state judge has ordered a railroad company to implement new safety rules for rail cars filled with butane and propane stored on Morris County-owned tracks. A Superior Court judge’s rule included ordering the...
Citing Texas Cap, Judge Reduces Johnson & Johnson $500M Implant Verdict
Jul 7 2016 // A U.S. judge has slashed a $500 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson and its DePuy unit over allegedly defective metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip implants to approximately $151 million. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge...
Vermont Governor Names Pieciak Chief of Financial Regulation
Jul 6 2016 // Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin has appointed Michael Pieciak as the commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation (DFR), replacing Susan Donegan whose last day on the job was June 30. Pieciak previously served as...
Top Risks Facing Executives in Natural Resources Industry
Jul 6 2016 // Natural resource industry executives say operating in more technically challenging physical environments is the leading risk to their business, followed by currency and interest rate fluctuations and cybersecurity. The new...
Judge Dismisses Virginia Fraternity’s Defamation Claim Against Rolling Stone Magazine
Jul 6 2016 // A defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone magazine over the magazine’s debunked article about a University of Virginia gang rape has been tossed out by a judge. U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel in Manhattan last...
Capital Rules Eased for UK Banks, Insurers in Wake of Brexit Vote
Jul 5 2016 // Mark Carney pledged to shore up financial stability as he warned that the risks from Britain’s shock decision to leave the European Union have started to crystallize. “There is the prospect of a material...
Connecticut Father, Son Challenge Government’s Authority to Regulate Recreational Drones
Jul 5 2016 // A Connecticut father and son are headed for a court showdown with the Federal Aviation Administration over whether the agency can force them to disclose information about drones shown in two YouTube videos firing a gun and...
NCCI Proposes Nearly 20% Florida Workers Comp Rate Increase
Jul 5 2016 // The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) announced July 1 that the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) filed an amended rate filing to address a third legal change affecting Florida’s...
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...
Mass. Senate Passes Ridesharing Bill; Lawmakers Must Reconcile with House Bill
Jul 1 2016 // The Massachusetts Senate has passed a bill to regulate ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft. The legislation approved Wednesday on a 34-2 vote would require drivers to undergo criminal background checks and carry...
Bermuda Market Associations Allay Fears of Brexit Contagion
Jul 1 2016 // Four leaders of Bermuda market groups quickly issued statements last week to allay any fears that the fallout from the UK’s Brexit vote would hit their market as well. “In a global economy, Bermuda is affected,...
Railroad Industry Being Left Behind in Drive to Autonomous Transportation
Jul 1 2016 // Peter Mills sees an inconsistency. One arm of the U.S. Department of Transportation is recommending two-person crews be required for freight trains as another plans to spend billions to help develop driverless technology...
London Re/Insurance Market Will Weather Brexit Storm: Execs
Jul 1 2016 // Brexit has created great uncertainty for the UK, the European Union and perhaps the world. Pretty much everyone agrees on that. But there is less agreement about how an EU exit will affect London’s financial...
New York’s High Court Rules on Joint Duty to Warn of Asbestos Danger
Jun 30 2016 // New York’s highest court has upheld court judgments against a steam valve manufacturer, citing its failure to warn of the dangers of using its valves with gaskets and packing that contain asbestos. The Court of...
