Articles by William Rabb

Rabb is Southeast Editor for Insurance Journal. He is a long-time newspaper man in the Deep South; also covered workers' comp insurance issues for a trade publication for a few years.

Florida OIR Approves Another 54,000 Citizens Takeouts. More Coming if Bills Pass

Florida’s insurance commissioner last week approved another round of takeouts from the state-created Citizens Property Insurance Corp., with assumption dates in May. That brings the total takeouts with 2024 assumptions to more than 354,134, the Office of Insurance Regulation reported. …

Company Linked to MMA Law Firm Still Paid by Florida; Case Highlights Issue with AOBs

The continuing saga of the Houston-based plaintiffs’ law firm of McClenny Moseley & Associates, suspended and sanctioned for flooding courts with erroneous lawsuits against property insurers in Louisiana, has taken a new political twist in recent days. It also has …

Sotheby’s, Russians, Theft: Insurer Must Defend in High-End Miami Realty Suit

In the glittering world of high-end south Florida real estate, One Sotheby’s International Realty is known as one of the biggest players in the market. This month, the firm is handling the rental of NBA superstar Kevin Durant’s penthouse in …

Castle Key Defends 53.5% Condo Rate Hike, Blames Reinsurance, Ian, Rapid Growth

When Allstate’s Florida unit, Castle Key Indemnity Co., entered the surging condominium insurance market in 2020, it looked like it had made a smart bet: Within two years, the carrier had added no fewer than 123,000 policies. Then came reinsurance …

Alfa Insurance Did Not Discriminate Against Worker with MS, Appeals Court Finds

Alfa Insurance, one of the largest property/casualty insurers in Alabama, did not discriminate against an employee with multiple sclerosis and did not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, a federal appeals court affirmed. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals …

South Carolina Lawmakers Mulling Liquor Liability Fund to Ease Coverage Crisis

Businesses and homeowners will be familiar with insurers of last resort – the state-created, quasi-governmental organizations that provide property and liability coverage when the primary market won’t. These include windstorm underwriting associations or corporations in a number of states, a …

Case Dismissed: Appeals Court Slams Expert Witness in Diabetes Drug Lawsuits

Multi-district litigation over the diabetes drug saxagliptin, a case that combined more than 80 suits from around the country, has failed because the plaintiffs’ sole expert witness was unreliable and did not show a causal link between the medication and …

Castle Key’s 54% Condo Rate Hike Gets Hearing, Showing New Pressures in Florida

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation next week will hold hearings on two property insurers’ requests for 54% average rate increases, one of which has already affected more than 105,000 condominium unit owners. Castle Key Indemnity Co., one of Allstate …

Prime Insurance Avoids $60M Judgment in Liposuction Death Case in Georgia

Prime Insurance Co. is not liable for $60 million in damages after two patients died following liposuction at a Georgia clinic, thanks in part to the clear wording of the insurance policy and timely action by the insurer, a federal …

Safepoint’s Florida Startup, Manatee Insurance Exchange, Gets COA, Financial Ratings

Florida regulators have approved another reciprocal property insurance company and it has received ratings from two financial rating firms. Manatee Insurance Exchange, a spinoff from Tampa-based Safepoint Insurance Co., was granted a certificate of authority Feb. 2 by the Florida …