Articles by Mark Johnson

What Are the Economic Stakes of Climate Change?

COP26 climate talks in Glasgow starting next Sunday may be the world’s best last chance to cap global warming at the 1.5-2 degrees Celsius upper limit set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The stakes for the planet are huge …

Large Recoveries for Pet Owners Unlikely in Pet Food Suits

Pet owners are not likely to get much compensation if they individually sue pet food-maker Menu Foods over the death of a dog or cat, although they might fare better if they joined forces in a class action suit, legal …

Veterinarians Blame Poisoned Food for More Than 100 Pet Deaths

At least 471 cases of pet kidney failure have been reported in the 10 days since a nationwide recall of dog and cat food and about a fifth of those pets have died, a veterinarians’ information service said. The maker …

MetLife Pays $19 Million to Settle Spitzer Investigation

MetLife Inc., the largest group life insurer in the nation, will pay $19 million and change some of its business practices to end an investigation of payments made to brokers to steer clients its way, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer said …

Automakers Unhappy as Court Upholds Spitzer on Lemon Law

A claim by automakers that Attorney General Eliot Spitzer’s office misinterpreted New York’s lemon law in a way that favored consumers has been rejected by the state’s highest court. At issue was an arbitration program created by the state Legislature …

Five Seek to Define N.Y. Attorney General Role After Spitzer

Democrat Eliot Spitzer has tackled illegal trading on Wall Street and fraudulent deals in the insurance industry and sued the federal government to force environmental protections in his nearly eight years as attorney general. The five people trying to replace …

Pursuing Auto Insurance Fraud as Organized Crime Pays Off

Investigators across the country are trying new tactics to crack down on the old problem of auto insurance fraud, using wiretaps, undercover agents and prosecutors who view the schemes and scams the same way they do organized crime. In 2001, …

Missing Computer Holding Personal Data of 540,000 People Found

A computer that went missing with the personal information of as many as 540,000 injured workers has been located, New York state officials said Wednesday. The FBI and the private company that had been in possession of the state-owned personal …