Delaware News

Group Challenges Secret Court Arbitration in Delaware

An open-government group on Tuesday, Oct. 25, challenged a law that allows members of Delaware’s Court of Chancery to preside over secret arbitration proceedings in business disputes. The Delaware Coalition for Open Government claims in the federal lawsuit that a …

Delaware Regulators Recovered $1.8M for Consumers, Commissioner Says

Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart said through Department of Insurance interventions, Delawareans recovered $1,827,923 in the first nine months of 2011. The breakdown of the restituted funds consists of complaints ($580,303); arbitration ($592,930); and market conduct ($654,690). The Commissioner …

Allstate, Encompass Fined for Violating Delaware Insurance Law

Delaware Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart has fined Allstate Insurance Co. and its subsidiary Encompass Insurance Co. a total of $50,000 for violations of Delaware insurance law. The fines are contained in two separate consent orders, signed by Stewart this …

Judge Orders Insurers to Pay in Delaware Diocese Bankruptcy

A Delaware bankruptcy judge on Friday ordered insurance companies to pay their share of a settlement with priest sex abuse victims that is the foundation of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington’s reorganization plan, and he angrily turned aside the insurers’ …

Insurers in Delaware Diocese Bankruptcy Balk at $15 Million Payout

A dispute over insurance payments is threatening to blow up the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington’s bankruptcy reorganization plan. Under the plan, the diocese, its parishes and affiliated entities, would be released from legal claims related to priest sex abuse in …

Delaware Governor Vetoes Helmet Law Repeal

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell has vetoed a bill that would have repealed the state’s current requirement that people operating a motorcycle carry a safety helmet. Delaware law requires that motorcyclists have a safety helmet with them while riding, although it …

Delaware Court Sides with DuPont in Asbestos Case

A divided Delaware Supreme Court has ruled against the wife of a former DuPont Co. worker in an asbestos exposure case. The court ruled 3-to-2 on Monday that Patricia Price could not change a claim of nonfeasance against DuPont into …

Motorcycle Rider Deaths Rise in Delaware

Delaware highway safety officials are alarmed at the increased number of motorcycle deaths and are urging riders to drive sober and wear helmets. Authorities said 10 people have been killed in motorcycle crashes this year, compared to three as of …

Fewer Tickets Issued During Delaware Seatbelt Campaign

Delaware’s Office of Highway Safety is pleased with some numbers that suggest more Delawareans are wearing seatbelts. The agency says that for the fourth consecutive year, police departments participating in the statewide Click It or Ticket campaign issued fewer tickets …

Active Hurricane Season Ups Risk for Mid-Atlantic

As weather forecasters predict an above-normal number of hurricanes this season, chances also increase that one of the storms will hit the mid-Atlantic states. The News Journal of Wilmington (Delaware) reports that the region’s last hurricane-related encounter was with remnants …