Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Italy’s Generali to Pay 2019 Dividend, Resisting EU Regulatory Guidance
Apr 13 2020 // Italy’s biggest insurer Generali on Friday said it would pay its 2019 dividend in two tranches, confirming a total payout of 0.96 euros per share, citing its strong capital position. The announcement flies in the...
Judge Won’t Approve California Wildfire Victims Letter Attacking PG&E
Apr 9 2020 // A federal judge has refused to put his stamp of approval on a letter to Northern California wildfire victims from attorneys who allege that Pacific Gas & Electric may be breaking its promises as it tries to preserve a...
California Supreme Court Ruling Will Enable Montrose to Tap Excess Policies
Apr 7 2020 // A decision this week by the California Supreme Court gave policyholders with long-tail environmental claims a potentially big win, finding that polices within each policy period can be vertically stacked. The decision was...
Minnesota Lawmakers to Ensure Workers’ Comp Coverage to Responders with COVID-19
Apr 7 2020 // The Minnesota Legislature is reconvening to pass a bill to ensure that first responders and health care workers who contract COVID-19 qualify for workers’ compensation without having to prove that they contracted the...
Federal Judge Permanently Bans Enforcement of Kansas ‘Ag-Gag’ Law
Apr 6 2020 // A federal judge has blocked enforcement of provisions in a Kansas law that ban the secret filming at slaughterhouses and other livestock facilities. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil issued the permanent injunction after...
Small Commercial Drones: Overcoming the Misconceptions
Apr 6 2020 // One of the most interesting and rapidly-growing technologies emerging for small business owners is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones. In 2019 alone, there were nearly 1.3 million registered...
Demotech Reveals Florida Insurer Ratings, Says Market ‘Most Difficult’ in U.S.
Apr 3 2020 // The long-awaited Demotech rating decisions for Florida domestic carriers are in, with many carriers having satisfied necessary steps to avoid ratings downgrades by the financial analysis firm. After affirming a slew of...
Life-or-Death Decisions by Hospitals, Doctors Come With Threat of Lawsuits
Apr 2 2020 // Doctors and hospitals overwhelmed in the pandemic will have to make their excruciating life-or-death decisions meticulously or they risk being second-guessed by a jury when the onslaught is over. Lawyers who defend health...
Two UK Court Rulings Limit Corporate Responsibility for Employee Conduct
Apr 2 2020 // UK companies may let out a “sigh of relief” after Barclays Plc and Wm Morrison Supermarkets Plc won a pair of Supreme Court cases that drastically limit corporate responsibility for employee conduct. First, the...
Kentucky Coronavirus Worker, Employer Relief Bill Signed by Governor
Apr 2 2020 // Legislation offering relief to workers and employers suffering economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic was signed by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday. The bill was put on the fast track by lawmakers last week as...
Washington Governor Signs Facial Recognition Law Curbing Use
Apr 1 2020 // Washington Gov. Jay Inslee has signed the first U.S. state law that sharply curbs law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology, while civil rights activists said the measure did not go far enough to protect...
Delaware Judge Dismisses Chemours Lawsuit Against DuPont
Apr 1 2020 // A Delaware judge has granted the DuPont Co.’s request to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that it massively downplayed the cost of environmental liabilities imposed on spinoff company Chemours. Vice Chancellor Sam...
Massachusetts Joins Ohio, N.J. in Proposing COVID-19 Business Interruption Bill
Mar 31 2020 // Massachusetts is one of the latest states to propose legislation that would mandate insurers cover COVID-19 related business interruption claims despite virus exclusions in many policies. This comes as Insurance Journal...
Judge Won’t Halt Salvage of Capsized Ship on Georgia Coast
Mar 31 2020 // A federal judge ruled she will not halt removal of a capsized cargo ship along the Georgia coast while a salvage company that lost the job to a competitor sues the U.S. Coast Guard. The decision by U.S. District Court...
Oklahoma Lawmakers Call for First Responder Workers’ Comp Coverage for COVID-19
Mar 30 2020 // A group of Republican lawmakers from the Oklahoma House of Representatives are asking the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML), Oklahoma Municipal Assurance Group (OMAG), CompSource Oklahoma and self-funded municipalities to...
P/C Insurers Put a Price Tag on Uncovered Coronavirus Business Interruption Losses
Mar 30 2020 // The property/casualty industry estimates that business interruption losses from the coronavirus just for small businesses in the U.S. could be between $220-$383 billion per month — or a quarter to half of the total...
Judge Declines to Dismiss Class-Action Suit Against New Hampshire Gun Manufacturer
Mar 27 2020 // A judge has denied a motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit against New Hampshire based gun manufacturer SIG Sauer. Judge Joseph Laplante found Monday that Derick Ortiz, who filed the lawsuit in September, had adequately...
New York Court Rules Gig Drivers Are Employees Eligible for Unemployment Benefits
Mar 27 2020 // Drivers for the online food delivery service Postmates Inc. are employees who are eligible for state unemployment insurance, New York’s top court has ruled. The ruling upsets the “gig” business model of...
Oil Industry Seeks Easing of Environmental Regulation During Pandemic
Mar 26 2020 // The Environmental Protection Agency said this week that it’s reviewing a request from the oil and gas industry to ease enforcement of hazardous air and water pollution and other regulatory issues during the...
How Policy Silence on Pandemics May Bedevil Insurers on Coronavirus Claims
Mar 26 2020 // Silence may be deadly for property/casualty insurers writing commercial insurance, an executive of an insurtech that specializes in analyzing insurance policy language suggested recently, explaining that without specific...
