Despite Less Driving During Pandemic, U.S. Traffic Deaths Up In Q1 Of 2021

New data shows a sustained increase in U.S. traffic deaths that regulators ascribe to impaired driving, speeding, a failure to wear seats beats and other unsafe behavior since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
September 2, 2021 Auto Liability

Opioid Distributor Turns To Insurance Company For Protection Against Government Lawsuits

Faced with thousands of lawsuits from local governments responding to the opioid epidemic, the makers, distributors, and suppliers of prescription painkillers have turned to their business insurance providers for help.
September 2, 2021 Liability Litigation Ohio

Post-Pandemic Mindshift Needed In Claims Leadership: Desjardins Execs

Claims leaders will need to evolve their mindsets if property & casualty insurers are to succeed in meeting customer demands post-COVID, senior Desjardins Insurance Group execs suggest.
August 30, 2021 Liability Property Technology

Sleep-Deprived Shift Workers Three Times More Likely To Crash, Study Finds

A new University of Missouri study confirmed that sleep disorders elevate crash risk in drivers, especially workers with shift worker sleep disorder (SWSD) who were almost three times more likely to crash than other drivers.
August 30, 2021 Auto Liability Workers' Compensation

Detective Sues Sig Sauer After Holstered Handgun Discharges, Shoots Her

Det. Brittney Hilton had no idea she had just been shot. All she said she felt at first was an incredible amount of pain, and a ‘very sick feeling.’
August 26, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Liability Litigation

Fifth Circuit Finds Defense Duty For Credit Card Data Breach

Reversing a federal district court, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently applied the Texas eight-corners rule to hold that an insurer had a duty to defend a restaurant chain against claims the chain breached its contract with a credit card processor by not preventing hackers from gaining access to its customers’ private information.
August 25, 2021 Liability Litigation Texas

What Amazon’s Insurance Play Means

I’ve waited for years now to see how insurance might fit with Jeff Bezos’ quote that ‘your margin is my opportunity.’ Amazon’s announcement last week that it will help sellers find product liability insurance through a network facilitated by Marsh may provide the answer.
August 17, 2021 Liability

NJ Court Reaffirms Rule Against Coverage for Faulty Workmanship Claims and Finds Fraud Claims Inherently Intentional

Awarding summary judgment to an insurer under both liability and directors & officers (D&O) coverage parts, a New Jersey trial court reaffirmed the principle that claims of defective workmanship without resulting ‘property damage’ are not covered under a general liability policy, and further dismissed claims for fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, finding that such claims were inherently intentional and do not state a covered ‘occurrence.’
August 16, 2021 Liability Litigation New Jersey

Investigators Probing Fateful Dixie Fire Drone Flight

The Butte County district attorney is investigating whether a drone that reportedly interfered with firefighting aircraft in the crucial first hours of the Dixie Fire was operated by PG&E or one of its contractors.
August 13, 2021 Liability California

Opioid Litigation Update: $26B Deal That Lets Big Pharma Off the Hook

After years of litigation and massive jury verdicts, three firms are eyeing an end to lawsuits over their role in the opioid epidemic.
August 12, 2021 Liability Litigation Workers' Compensation

Northern California Utility’s Link to Raging Dixie Fire

Pacific Gas & Electric — the Northern California utility responsible for the some of the state’s most devastating wildfires over the past four years — has said its equipment may also be responsible for the still-raging Dixie Fire, which is now the second-biggest wildfire in the history of the state.
August 12, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Liability California

McLarens Acquires Canadian Loss Adjuster MGB Claims

Insurance services provider McLarens is set to acquire MGB Claims, a complex commercial claims adjusting firm based in Canada.
August 4, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Liability Property

Family of Child Thrown From Mall of America Balcony Files Lawsuit

The family of the boy who was thrown from the third-floor balcony at the Mall of America in 2019 have filed a lawsuit against the Bloomington facility.
July 29, 2021 Liability Litigation Minnesota

10th Circuit Case Reinforces Limits Of Insurer’s Duty To Settle Disputed Claims

A recent federal appeals court case applying Utah law goes to the heart of the conflict that arises between a policyholder and insurer when an insurer defends a policyholder under a reservation of rights and receives a settlement offer.
July 27, 2021 Liability Litigation

Rise in Lawsuits Highlights Range of Exposures Financial Sector Faces

Litigation on a range of environmental, social and governance issues, such as climate change, pollution, diversity and CEO pay, is on the rise, putting pressure on companies to proactively manage ESG risks.
July 19, 2021 Excess & Surplus Lines Liability Litigation
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