Latest Massachusetts Headlines
All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Massachusetts Judge Rejects Auto Insurance Class Actions Over Diminished Value
Jul 17 2023 // A judge in Massachusetts denied class certifications for claimants seeking payments from two insurers for the lost resale value of their motor vehicles that were damaged in accidents and then repaired. Suffolk County...
Penske Truck Denies Fraudulent Inspection Allegations But Will Pay $3.5M to End Dispute
Jul 13 2023 // Penske Truck Leasing Co. will pay up to a $3.5 million civil penalty for alleged fraudulent safety and emissions inspections on fleet trucks and trucks it rented for commercial use. According to Massachusetts Attorney...
Massachusetts High Court Affirms Limit on Wrongful Death Suits in Tobacco Ruling
Jul 7 2023 // If a person’s right to bring a personal injury lawsuit has expired by the time of his or her death, the person’s estate is barred from bringing a wrongful death suit in Massachusetts for the benefit of the...
AM Best Issues Improved Outlooks for Barnstable Group in Massachusetts
Jul 6 2023 // AM Best has revised its outlooks to stable from negative and affirmed its Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings of “a” (Excellent) for the members of Barnstable Group,...
Car Dealer Shielded From Liability in ‘Courtesy’ Car Accident
Jun 28 2023 // Massachusetts car dealerships that provide customers with a courtesy vehicle to use while their car is being repaired are protected by federal law from liability should the courtesy car be in an accident, despite a state...
Massachusetts Town Not Liable for ATV Rider’s Death on Town Land
Jun 27 2023 // A Massachusetts town is immune from liability for the death of an ATV rider who was killed after striking a wire cable strung across a right of way on town land by the owner of the adjacent private property. The...
Massachusetts Judge Rejects Auto Insurance Class Actions Over Diminished Value
Jun 23 2023 // A judge in Massachusetts has denied class certifications for claimants seeking payments from two insurers for the lost resale value of their motor vehicles that were damaged in accidents and then repaired. Suffolk County...
Federal Regulator Throws Wrench Into Massachusetts Right-to-Repair Plans
Jun 21 2023 // A right-to-repair motor vehicle law in Massachusetts that was passed by voters two years ago but been held up in court has hit what could be a major roadblock. A federal regulator says car manufacturers cannot obey the...
For Groups Fighting Opioid Crisis, Settlement Money Can Be Hard to Come By
Jun 19 2023 // Companies accused of fueling the U.S. opioid crisis have so far paid out more than $3 billion to compensate states, but has any of the money reached the people who need it? It depends where you live. Yes, if you’re...
Study Blames Climate Change for Summer Wildfire Rise in California
Jun 15 2023 // A study out this week shows that nearly all of the observed increase in summer wildfires in California over the past half-century is attributable to man-made climate change. An international team of scientists looked at...
Dave & Buster’s to Pay $275K Over Claims of Meal Break, Child Labor Violations
Jun 12 2023 // 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 &...
Massachusetts City Faces Lawsuit Alleging Police Misconduct at George Floyd Protest
Jun 6 2023 // Eleven people have filed a federal lawsuit saying they were assaulted by police or wrongfully arrested while peacefully observing a June 2020 protest in Massachusetts’ second-largest city over the killing of George...
Lightning Strike Cited in Fire That Destroys 160-Year-Old Massachusetts Church
Jun 5 2023 // A fire that burned down a 160-year-old Massachusetts church was likely started by a lightning strike, a fire chief said. The First Congregational Church in Spencer caught fire Friday afternoon, when a storm was moving...
Massachusetts Agency Owner Accused of Stealing Workers’ Compensation Premiums
Jun 1 2023 // The owner of a Gloucester, Massachusetts insurance agency has been indicted and arraigned in connection with an alleged embezzlement scheme that left client companies uninsured. The scheme included the agent transferring...
New England Health Insurer Still Dealing With Ransomware Attack
May 24 2023 // Point32Health, the parent company of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, is still dealing with a ransomware attack it first reported on April 17. The company has now disclosed that patient information has...
Fraudulent Filings in Massachusetts Could Be Distorting U.S. Jobless Claims Reports
May 18 2023 // Fraudulent filings for state unemployment insurance aid in Massachusetts could be distorting U.S. weekly unemployment claims data, economists warned on Wednesday, making it harder to get a clear picture of the labor market...
Massachusetts AG Reports $6.15M Settlement With CVS Over Workers’ Comp Drugs
May 16 2023 // Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office reports it has reached a $6.15 million settlement with CVS Pharmacy, Inc. to resolve allegations of overcharging for prescriptions for workers’...
Seafood Company Denies Discrimination Claim by Immigrant Worker
May 16 2023 // A Massachusetts seafood business said Thursday that it did not discriminate against an immigrant worker who complained to the state. The worker, Paula Fortes, is a Black woman who immigrated to the U.S. from Cape Verde, an...
Massachusetts Lawmakers Consider Limiting Zip Code Weight in Auto Rates
May 11 2023 // Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a measure that would curtail the use of geographical location in the rating of private passenger auto insurance, a factor that critics say now penalizes urban and minority...
Philip Morris Must Pay $37M to Cancer Victim, Massachusetts High Court Rules
May 10 2023 // Tobacco company Philip Morris USA must pay $37 million to a Massachusetts woman who developed cancer from smoking Marlboro Lights cigarettes, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled in a unanimous decision. The...
