Insurance Journal - When it comes to complex employment-related legal disputes, 2012 will be considered a landmark year, according to a new report on employment class action litigation. Many of the key rulings of 2012 in class action cases hinged on the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2011 rulings in three milestone cases — Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, and Smith v. Bayer— according to the 9th annual edition of the “Workplace Class Action Litigation Report,” published by Seyfarth Shaw LLP. The report covers 1,059 class action rulings rendered by federal and state courts in 2012 on workplace laws.

WFAA.com - One civilian and two firefighters were injured in an explosion Friday afternoon at a duplex located at 520 East Main Street in Lewisville. "All of the sudden something blew," said Bronnia Campbell, choking back tears. "I turned, and the complex blew." Campbell lives across the parking lot from the duplex. She was outside when it happened. "It was horrible. Sounded like a bomb. A massive blow, just massive," she said.

CNN - An Academy bus collided with a mini school bus, which overturned, on Route 9 in Old Bridge, New Jersey. The Academy bus veered off the roadway into the grass, coming to a stop in front of a townhouse complex. It did not overturn. The Academy bus was a commuter bus heading towards New York City. There were no children on the bus at the time of the accident. There were at least 16 injuries reported on the Academy bus.

CNN - A crane collapse at a construction site in Queens, New York, Wednesday afternoon injured seven, according to city fire officials. All of the injured appear to be construction workers, Department of Buildings spokesman Tony Sclafani said. Three of the injuries were serious, and four were minor, according to Fire Department of New York spokeswoman Emily Rahimi. "Everyone’s been accounted for," Rahimi said.

Insurance Journal - Maine has adopted a new, uniform standard for who can be classified as an “independent contractor” for worker’s compensation and other employment-related cases. The change went into effect on Dec. 31, 2012. State officials say the uniform definition will help eliminate confusion for businesses. Previously, the state’s department of labor, the workers’ compensation board and the revenue services used different criteria for who would be classified as an independent contractor. Officials say this new definition clarifies the conditions under which a worker should be classified as an employee or as an independent contractor. The independent contractor standard will be applied uniformly in worker’s compensation, unemployment, and wage and hour laws.

Billings Gazette - A sharply divided Montana Supreme Court has ruled that forcing a Hutterite religious colony to pay workers’ compensation insurance for jobs outside the commune is not an unconstitutional intrusion into religion. The 4-3 decision upholds a 2009 law requiring religious organizations to carry workers’ compensation insurance, which the Legislature passed after businesses complained they could not outbid the religious workers. The Big Sky Colony of Hutterites in northwestern Montana sued, saying the law targeted its religion and infringed on its beliefs. Its members have no personal property and make no wages as part of their communal life, which is central to their religious beliefs, and a member can’t make a claim against the colony or take money for himself without risking excommunication.

Insurance Networking News - Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast on Oct. 30, 2012 and for days lashed the region with high winds and rain. From that day through November 5, Allstate Corp., the nation’s largest publicly traded personal lines insurer, received almost 14,000 claims submissions online and through mobile claims applications, representing a 116-percent increase compared to a non-catastrophe week. By integrating telephony, text messaging, e-mail, video conferencing, Internet access, as well as photo and video capabilities, into a single personal technology, mobile devices have transformed the ways people communicate, entertain themselves, shop and transact business.

Business Insurance - An Australian court recently delivered its opinion in the ongoing saga of a woman seeking workers compensation benefits for an injury suffered while having sex on a business trip. The full bench of the Federal Court found in favor of the government worker who was hospitalized in 2007 after a glass light fitting was ripped from above a motel room bed, according to reports. The fitting injured her face, which also caused her to suffer from depression. The government insurer, Comcare, first approved her workers comp claim, but then rejected it after further examining the case. UPDATE: Australian court rules no workers’ comp for sex injury

Insurance Networking News - Insurers’ ability to process claims effectively has never been more important to their financial results and customer experience. Look at most any carrier’s website and you’ll see lots of language touting their fast, fair and friendly claims-processing practices and customer-satisfaction statistics. But claims is a function that relies heavily on the skills of individual claims adjusters and their demeanor with the claimant. And while the goal is to offer a fair settlement and pay the appropriate amount, carriers also need to minimize leakage and fraud.

ABC News - A leading insurance company says natural disasters cost the industry $65 billion last year and that Superstorm Sandy accounted for nearly two-fifths of the total. However, Munich Re AG said Thursday total insured losses from natural catastrophes were down from a record $119 billion in 2011, when devastating earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand cost the industry dear. The company said total economic costs in 2012 from natural disasters — including uninsured losses — amounted to $160 billion, compared with the previous year’s $400 billion.