Latest Massachusetts Headlines
All the headlines from our Massachusetts Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Massachusetts 911 System Restored After Outage Caused by Firewall, Not Cyber Attack
Jun 20 2024 // The 911 system across Massachusetts was restored Tuesday after going down for several hours, which made it impossible for anyone to reach emergency services through the call number. The Massachusetts State Police announced...
Massachusetts Town Loses $446,000 in Cyber Attack
Jun 12 2024 // The Massachusetts town of Arlington reports it has lost $445,945 in funds intended for a contractor working on a high school building project that were instead diverted to hackers orchestrating a wire fraud scam. Town...
Massachusetts High Court Reverses, Says Uber Can Force Paralyzed Rider to Arbitrate
Jun 11 2024 // Uber can require that a passenger seriously injured in a crash involving an Uber driver go to arbitration over his $63 million damages claim without a trial, the highest court in Massachusetts has ruled, overturning a...
Massachusetts Drivers Lose Second Bid for Class Certifications Over Lost Resale Value
Jun 7 2024 // Three Massachusetts drivers have hit a dead end for the second time in their drive for court certification of class actions against two auto insurers over missing payments for the lost resale value of vehicles. Superior...
RiverStone Acquires Electric Insurance; Plymouth Rock Gets Renewal Rights
Jun 3 2024 // RiverStone International reports it has closed on its acquisition of Electric Insurance Co. and its two subsidiaries, Elm Insurance Co. and Electric Insurance Agency. Electric Insurance is a Beverly,...
Doctor, One of Top Prescribers of Opioids in Massachusetts, Is Sentenced
May 23 2024 // A Massachusetts orthopedic surgeon who prosecutors say was one of the top prescribers of opioid drugs in the state was sentenced in federal court in Boston for his role in a health care fraud scheme. Dr. Olarewaju James...
Teen Who Ate Spicy Tortilla Chip Died of High Chile Consumption; Also Had Heart Defect
May 22 2024 // A Massachusetts teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge on social media died from eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract and also had a congenital heart defect, according to autopsy results...
Massachusetts Appeals Court Upholds Restaurants’ COVID-19 Insurance Denial
May 21 2024 // In a ruling against an upscale restaurant chain, a Massachusetts Appeals Court has followed the recipe the state’s high court set forth in 2022 in ruling that the COVID-19 virus does not trigger business interruption...
AM Best Affirms Arrow Mutual’s Ratings, Revises Outlooks Citing Claim Dispute
May 20 2024 // AM Best has revised the outlooks to negative from stable and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of “a-” (Excellent) of Arrow Mutual Liability...
CyberTrust Massachusetts Launches Cybersecurity Services for Cities and Towns
May 17 2024 // The nonprofit CyberTrust Massachusetts recently launched cyber assessment and monitoring services to help cities and towns in the state address the trend of escalating cyber attacks, ransomware, infrastructure disruption...
Massachusetts Faces Off Against Uber, Lyft in Trial Over Status of Gig Workers
May 13 2024 // Uber Technologies and Lyft are set to face trial on Monday in a U.S. lawsuit by Massachusetts’ attorney general alleging the ride-share companies misclassified their drivers as independent contractors rather than...
Hub Acquires Cargill Agency of Massachusetts
May 7 2024 // Insurance broker Hub International Limited announced it has acquired the assets of William R. Cargill Insurance Agency, Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Based in Topsfield, Massachusetts, Cargill Insurance...
Massachusetts Top Court Debates Challenges to Gig Worker Ballot Measures
May 7 2024 // Massachusetts’s highest court on Monday weighed whether ballot proposals that would redefine the relationship between app-based companies like Uber Technologies and Lyft and their drivers should be allowed to go...
Status of Uber, Lyft Gig Workers Riding On Massachusetts Court Fight
May 6 2024 // Massachusetts has become the latest front in a years-long battle in the United States over whether ride-share drivers for Uber and Lyft should be treated as independent contractors or employees entitled to benefits and...
Burglars Targeting South Asians Stole $4 Million in Jewels Over Six Years
Apr 29 2024 // A burglary ring that allegedly stole more than $4 million worth of jewelry mostly from the homes of South Asians in over two dozen communities has been broken up, the Massachusetts State Police said. Four people, including...
Boston Agent Charged With Creating Fake Insurance Policies to Collect Commissions
Apr 26 2024 // A Boston man has been charged with a fraud scheme in which prosecutors say he collected about $45,000 in unearned sales commissions on insurance policies he created using personally identifiable information stolen from...
Massachusetts AG Warns AI Systems Subject to Consumer Protection, Anti-Bias Laws
Apr 19 2024 // Developers, suppliers, and users of artificial intelligence must comply with existing state consumer protection, anti-discrimination, and data privacy laws, the Massachusetts attorney general cautioned Tuesday. In an...
Co-Conspirator Sentenced for Damage, Unauthorized Access to Health System
Apr 15 2024 // A Rutland, Massachusetts man was sentenced in federal court in Worcester to conspiring to access a computer system of his former employer – a non-profit substance use and mental health treatment provider that operates...
200 Patients Sue, Alleging Sexual Abuse, Unnecessary Exams by Boston Doctor
Apr 12 2024 // More than a decade ago, Kristin Fritz was struggling with pain in her spine and saw a rheumatologist recommended by her doctor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The visit with Dr. Derrick Todd started...
Insurers Norfolk & Dedham of Massachusetts and Union Mutual of Vermont to Affiliate
Apr 11 2024 // Massachusetts-based Norfolk & Dedham (N&D) and Union Mutual in Vermont, property/casualty insurers with a combined 350 years in the business in the Northeast, announced they intend to affiliate, subject to...
