Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Judge Allows Lawsuits Against Bank of America Executives Over Merrill Deal
Aug 30 2010 // A Manhattan federal judge refused to dismiss shareholder lawsuits against Bank of America Corp and various executives and directors over the purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co. during the 2008 financial crisis and...
Forfeiture Postponed in Ex-Pennsylvania Judge’s Fraud Case
Aug 27 2010 // A federal court forfeiture hearing has been postponed in the case of a former Pennsylvania Superior Court judge convicted of insurance fraud, because the judge’s wife has hired a new attorney to try to prevent their...
Kentucky Court Rules Christians-Only Health Plan Is Insurance
Aug 27 2010 // A Christians-only health care plan provides a “contract for insurance” and doesn’t qualify for exemption from state regulations as a religious publication, the Kentucky Supreme Court has ruled in a...
Commission Weighs Self-Governing Body for Oil Drilling Safety
Aug 25 2010 // The White House oil spill commission Wednesday will probe U.S. offshore drilling policies and consider pushing the oil industry to accept a self-governing body to help oversee tough safety standards. With a focus on...
Massey Suit Goes Before W.Va. Judge Panel
Aug 24 2010 // Hundreds of southern West Virginia residents who claim Massey Energy Co. poisoned their wells and made them sick by pumping coal slurry underground will get their day in court next year _ and a chance to settle the case...
Florida Insurance Department to Survey on Sinkholes
Aug 23 2010 // Starting this month, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation is going to begin surveying Florida property insurers about their experience with sinkhole claims, in an effort to get to the bottom of the simmering...
Trade Group Sues Over New Calif. Insurance Rules
Aug 23 2010 // A new regulation that makes it harder for health insurance companies to drop individual policyholders in California is being challenged in court by an industry trade group. The California Department of Insurance’s...
Montana Workers’ Comp Overhaul Gets Green Light
Aug 23 2010 // A proposed workers’ compensation overhaul hammered out by business and labor is going to Montana’s full Legislature, despite stiff opposition from the equally powerful trial lawyers and doctors groups. A...
Court Rules North Dakota Farm Fraudster Entitled to Benefit
Aug 20 2010 // North Dakota’s Supreme Court says an insurance agent who was convicted of running a federal farm payment scam is entitled to some retirement money. Duane Huber of Wimbledon contended North Dakota Farmers Union...
Judges Reopen Portions of Bid-Rigging Civil Suit
Aug 20 2010 // A decision by a federal court in Philadelphia has reopened some of the racketeering and antitrust lawsuits that were dismissed three years ago against insurers and brokers who allegedly participated in a bid-rigging scheme...
Forfeiture Set in Ex-Pennsylvania Judge’s Fraud Case
Aug 19 2010 // A federal judge has set a forfeiture hearing for a former Pennsylvania Superior Court judge who is serving a 46-month prison sentence for insurance fraud. Michael Joyce, of Millcreek Township, was convicted of mail fraud...
Missouri Consumers Better Protected Against Insolvent Insurers
Aug 18 2010 // Financially strapped insurance companies in Missouri will soon face tighter oversight, thanks to a new law signed by Gov. Jay Nixon. Senate Bill 583, which takes effect Aug. 28, spells out the specific standards the...
Calif. Employers Face New Workers’ Comp Posting Requirements
Aug 18 2010 // As of Oct. 8, California employers must begin distributing an updated version of the workers’ compensation new hire pamphlet to all employees hire on or after that date; post revised workers’ comp employee...
Report: Improve Benefits for Injured North Dakota Workers
Aug 16 2010 // An unusual North Dakota workers’ compensation law provides reduced benefits when a job injury worsens a medical problem the employee already has, and a consultant told state lawmakers on Friday they should repeal...
Cuomo and New York Regulators Respond to Producer Comp Lawsuit
Aug 16 2010 // In a series of court filings, the New York Attorney General’s Office and State Insurance Department argue that new rules requiring agents to disclose their pay to clients are needed to penetrate a “cloak of...
New Laws on Louisiana’s Books Include Tougher Penalties for Texting
Aug 16 2010 // More than 650 new laws took effect in Louisiana this week, including revisions to existing statutes and arcane adjustments of insurance and health care regulations. New abortion regulations will require ultrasound exams...
NAS Expands Regulatory Business Interruption Coverage
Aug 13 2010 // NAS has expanded its Regulatory Business Interruption (RBI) product to include coverage for mandatory and voluntary evacuation. RBI provides companies with extra expense protection, on a per day basis, for business...
Tennessee State Senator Could Have Sentence Reduced
Aug 12 2010 // Former state senator John Ford could have his federal prison sentence nearly cut in half after a recent Supreme Court decision that weakened an anti-fraud law. The 68-year-old Ford is serving a 19-year sentence. A 2008...
Kipper Named Deputy Commissioner in Louisiana Insurance Department
Aug 10 2010 // Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has named Scott Kipper as the Louisiana Department of Insurance (LDI) Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Health. “This is a critical time for the Department of Insurance as we...
Cruise Ships Traveling In Changing Legal, Security Climate
Aug 9 2010 // Crime on cruise ships is rare, considering 10 million North Americans sailed last year. But some crime victims believe that justice also is rare — due to overlapping investigative powers, difficulty obtaining...
