Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Washington Woman Charged with Insurance Fraud
Apr 5 2019 // Elizabeth Delgado, of Pasco, Wash., was charged in Franklin County District Court with one count each of filing a false insurance claim and second-degree attempted theft after an investigation by Insurance Commissioner...
Microsoft Insurer Loses Bid To Recoup $175M from Xbox Chipmaker Hit by Fire
Apr 4 2019 // Microsoft Corp.’s captive insurer has lost its bid to recover $175 million in costs the software maker said it incurred in 2013 to replace memory chips that a manufacturer failed to deliver because of a fire at the...
Some Data Indicates Increasing Accident Rates in Marijuana States
Apr 1 2019 // Preliminary research indicates that the legalization of recreational marijuana in 10 states has increased accident rates, the Insurance Information Institute said. The group cited an October 2018 study by the Highway Loss...
Washington Insurance Commissioner Issued $80K in Fines in February
Mar 26 2019 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler disciplined and issued fines in February totaling $79,400 against insurance companies, agents, brokers and others who violated state insurance regulations. Insurance...
Washington City Planning Big Driver Bike, Pedestrian Safety Changes
Mar 26 2019 // A Washington city is planning changes to make streets safer for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. Bellingham residents can expect to see substantial changes to thoroughfares over the next few months as the city...
Washington Teacher Agrees to $850K to Withdraw Discrimination Suit
Mar 25 2019 // The Sequim School District in Washington has agreed that a former middle school teacher and athletic director will receive $850,000 to withdraw her sexual orientation discrimination lawsuit. The Peninsula Daily News...
Stone Creek Adds Wagner in Washington
Mar 21 2019 // Stone Creek Insurance Agency has hired Jamison Wagner to manage its Spokane, Wash. office. Wagner began his insurance career in 1999 with Safeco Insurance. He was previously with Travelers Insurance as a commercial...
Washington High Court Hears Case on Carbon Pollution
Mar 21 2019 // The Washington Supreme Court heard arguments this week on whether the state Department of Ecology has the authority to cap carbon pollution from major industrial emitters, something business groups and utilities have...
Thinking Past the Obvious: Former CEO of XL Group McGavick Looks Back
Mar 21 2019 // The former chief executive officer of XL Group, Mike McGavick, admits that frequently during his career he has taken on leadership roles that some of his contemporaries considered too hot to handle—such as the...
Washington Blizzard Killed 1,850 Cows, Yakima Farmers Reeling
Mar 20 2019 // The unexpected blizzard that swept through the Yakima Valley on Feb. 9 was just one more clobbering for the region’s dairy farms. The number of dairy farms in the state has plummeted from 2,500 in 1993 to 377 in...
Washington Will be Joining Other States in Suing Major Opioid Shippers
Mar 14 2019 // Washington is the latest state to sue major distributors of opioids, saying the companies made billions of dollars while ignoring signs of a growing crisis fueled by addiction to the drugs. Attorney General Bob Ferguson...
CNN Hit With $275M Defamation Suit by Kentucky Student
Mar 13 2019 // A Kentucky teenager sued CNN on Tuesday for defamation, saying the cable network falsely conveyed to viewers that he was the “face of an unruly hate mob” confronting a Native American activist at the Lincoln...
Earthquake Survey Finds Thousands of Washington Buildings a Concern
Mar 13 2019 // Washington state’s first statewide inventory of buildings prone to crumble or collapse in an earthquake has found there are thousands of unreinforced masonry buildings that could be dangerous. The Northwest News...
Costco Captive in Washington Pays $3.6M in Back Premium Taxes, Penalties
Mar 12 2019 // NW Re Limited, of Phoenix, Ariz., has settled with Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler to pay $3.6 million in unpaid premium taxes, penalties, interest and a fine. NW Re’s sole insured and parent...
Washington Commissioner’s Request for Disaster Resilience Plan Passes Senate
Mar 5 2019 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s proposal to prepare for and mitigate the effects of climate disasters passed the state Senate this week on a unanimous vote. Senate Bill 5106 would create a work...
Trump Administration Allows Lawsuits Against Some Businesses in Cuba
Mar 5 2019 // The Trump administration said on Monday it would allow lawsuits by U.S. citizens against dozens of Cuban companies and other entities on Washington’s blacklist but will maintain, for now, a ban against suing foreign...
Former Washington Agent Jailed for Stealing Premiums
Mar 4 2019 // Donald W. Morgan, 67, of Bingen, Wash., pleaded guilty in Snohomish County Superior Court to a felony count of first-degree theft involving his former customers’ insurance premiums. He is serving 30 days in the...
Washington Jury Awards $14M in Malpractice Suit
Mar 4 2019 // A King County, Wash., jury awarded a woman nearly $14 million in a medical-malpractice suit against Seattle Children’s Hospital and Children’s University Medical Group. The jury found doctors failed to prevent...
In Separate Cases, 2 Charged in Washington with Insurance Fraud
Mar 4 2019 // Two Yakima County, Wash., residents have been charged in Superior Court in connection with separate auto insurance fraud claims. The charges followed investigations by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal...
Insurer Hit With $102K Fine for Selling Illegal NRA-Branded Policies
Mar 4 2019 // Illinois Union Insurance Co. has paid a $102,000 fine after Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler ordered the company to cease underwriting self-defense policies branded by the National Rifle Association. After...
