Monthly Archives: <span>September 2016</span>

Case Alleges Berkshire ‘Siphoned’ Funds in Workers’ Comp Suit

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. duped a New York bicycle courier company into paying for a workers’ compensation plan that threatens to shortchange injured workers and businesses, according to a lawsuit filed Friday. The suit comes as Berkshire’s Applied Underwriters business faces …

Tesla Boosts Radar to Improve Autopilot

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says the electric car company is making major improvements to the Autopilot system used by its vehicles, which will dramatically reduce the number and severity of crashes in which they are involved. Sunday’s news comes in …

Judge Wants AG’s Emails in Washington Landslide Liability Case

A judge Wednesday ordered the Washington Attorney General’s Office to give him internal emails that might help explain when state lawyers handling a case about liability for the devastating Oso landslide realized that their expert witnesses were improperly deleting emails. …

Drones to Assist FDNY in Battling Major Fires

Drones will soon be taking to the skies to help New York City firefighters battle major fires and emergencies. The New York Times reported Thursday the Fire Department of New York will deploy a drone to 2-alarm fires or greater …

Business Moves: Alacrity Services, Oriel Services, AIR Worldwide, CCC

Alacrity Services Announces Market Expansion With Launch Of Resolve Homeowner Program Alacrity Services launched Resolve to directly connect homeowners to its network of pre-screened restoration and repair contractors. The announcement marks a first-time expansion for the company from its core …

1971 Alaska Air Crash Pushed Safety Changes

In the first week of September, 45 years ago, Robert Mottram flew by helicopter to the Chilkat Mountains west of Admiralty Island. It was not a pleasant experience. On Sept. 4, 1971, Alaska Airlines Flight 1866, en route from Anchorage …

Researchers Say Ocean Warming is Staggering, Risk Assessments Necessary

A new published report on ocean warming, issued this week at the World Conservation Congress, makes clear the scale of ‘ocean risk’ for the first time. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report, funded by global (re)insurer XL …

Offensive Odors Are Pollutants According to South Carolina Court

In a recent decision, South Carolina Ins. Reserve Fund v. East Richland County Public Service Dist., 2016 WL 1125810 (S.C. App., filed 3/23/16), the Court found that the release of offensive odors constituted a pollutant because the odors involved gas …

NICB: Catalytic Converter Thefts Continue to Rise

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reports today that from 2008 through 2015, there were 25,394 catalytic converter thefts across the nation. In 2008, there were 3,246 thefts of catalytic converters. That number rose to 3,986 at the end of …

Oklahoma Workers’ Comp Loss Costs Fall 10.2%

The annual filing most insurance carriers will use to develop rates for workers’ compensation insurance shows a decrease for the fourth year in a row. The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) plans to file an overall loss cost decrease …