NHTSA Investigating Fatal California Tesla Crash

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating the crash of a speeding Tesla that killed two people in a Los Angeles suburb, the agency announced Tuesday.
January 2, 2020 Auto Liability California

Uber, Postmates Sue To Block California Gig Worker Law, Claiming It’s Unconstitutional

Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc and courier services provider Postmates Inc asked a U.S. court to block a California labor law set to go into effect on Wednesday, arguing the bill violates the U.S. Constitution.
December 31, 2019 Legislation & Regulation California

California Conspirators Arrested For $500K Car Insurance Fraud Scheme

Investigators in California have arrested four suspects for their alleged involvement in a car insurance fraud ring. Their alleged activities cost scammed insurers $500,000 until they were found out by the California Department of Insurance, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, and the California Highway Patrol.
December 20, 2019 Auto Fraud California

California Expands Insurance Protections In Wildfire Areas

More than a million California homes are now protected under a new law that temporarily bans insurance companies from dropping customers in areas affected by recent wildfires, officials announced Wednesday.
December 19, 2019 Legislation & Regulation Property California

Lawyer Unhinged: Attorney Sends Obscene, Threatening Emails In Claim Dispute

The attorneys for Allstate insurance stopped responding when the emails started to get weird. First, it was just vulgarity: “Pay up f---face,” attorney Christopher G. Hook wrote in November, demanding Allstate pay a nine-figure settlement to his clients.
December 17, 2019 Litigation Weird California

California Utility Scrambles To Renegotiate Wildfire Settlement Rejected By Governor

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s opposition to Pacific Gas & Electric’s restructuring plan just a week after it struck a $13.5 billion settlement with fire victims is forcing the nation’s largest utility to go back to the negotiating table and come up with a solution fairly quickly.
December 16, 2019 Legislation & Regulation Liability Litigation Property California

Sausalito, Caltrans Face Another Mudslide Lawsuit

Already battling one lawsuit over a massive landslide last winter, Sausalito and Caltrans are now facing a second. Winston Ashmead, who owns one of the properties damaged during the storm in February, alleges that a Caltrans project near Highway 101 and a road cut at the base of the hill above the property channeled water onto the hill and caused the slide, said Steven Blum, the plaintiff’s attorney.
December 11, 2019 Litigation Property California

California Puts One-Year Halt On Insurers Dropping Customers In Wildfire-Prone Areas

California on Thursday ordered a one-year halt on insurance companies dropping customers in wildfire-prone areas at a time when state insurers are trying to limit spiraling costs from climate change.
December 6, 2019 Catastrophe Legislation & Regulation Property California

Pineapple Express: Study Warns Of Billion-Dollar-A-Year Risk In Damages From ‘Atmospheric Rivers’

California and the rest of the western U.S. face a billion-dollar-a-year risk in flood damages from so-called “atmospheric rivers”, the huge plumes of moisture that periodically surge ashore from the sub-tropics, according to a study published Wednesday by UC San Diego.
December 6, 2019 Education & Training Property California

PG&E Urges Judge To Approve Insurance Settlement, Faces Resistance

Pacific Gas & Electric on Wednesday urged a federal bankruptcy judge to approve a key insurance settlement as it struggles to regain its financial footing and cover at least $20 billion in losses stemming from catastrophic wildfires in California tied to its equipment.
December 5, 2019 Liability Property Subrogation California

PG&E Accepts Fault For Deadly Camp Fire, Seeks ’Technologies’ To Limit Future Risks

As PG&E accepts the latest round of blame for setting off California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire ever, the state’s largest utility says it’s exploring innovative means of preventing similar disasters in the future.
December 4, 2019 Catastrophe Liability California

Cal Fire Sues In-N-Out Burger Chain Over Responsibility For Wildfire

Fast food chain In-N-Out was responsible for a 2017 grass fire in rural Arroyo Grande, a lawsuit filed by Cal Fire in San Luis Obispo Superior Court alleges.
November 25, 2019 Liability Litigation California

Los Angeles Commuter Train Slams Into RV On Tracks

A Los Angeles commuter train crashed into a vehicle on the tracks during the early morning rush hour on Friday, engulfing both in flames, but the accident caused no injuries among the passengers, according to officials and media reports.
November 22, 2019 Auto Excess & Surplus Lines California

Cargo Thieves Target Containers Rushed Into U.S. Ahead Of Threatened Tariffs

Cargo theft across the U.S. increased in the third quarter, with thieves targeting high-value items and making off with an average value of $155,709 per incident, according to the Beverly, Mass.-based supply chain visibility provider Sensitech Inc.
November 20, 2019 Excess & Surplus Lines California Florida Georgia Illinois New Jersey

PG&E Is Dubious Of Fire Victim’s Claim For A 500-Pound Emerald

PG&E Corp. says it has found suspicious monetary claims by victims of California’s wildfires, including one from a man who says a 500-pound (227-kilogram) emerald worth $280 million was destroyed at his home a year ago in the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in state history.
November 19, 2019 Fraud Liability Property California
SOS Ladder AssistMid-America Catastrophe ServicesAspen Claims ServiceHouston Auto AppraisersWeller Salvage