Monthly Archives: <span>May 2020</span>

Work Comp May Need Backstop as Presumptions Push Claim Costs into Billions

An executive order by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week is the most aggressive yet among the directives issued by 13 states that require workers’ compensation insurers to pay at least some COVID-19 claims. Pressure is growing on workers’ compensation …

Woman Struck by Telephone Pole to Receive $125M From Verizon

NEWARK, N.J. — The family of a woman who was paralyzed when she was struck by a falling telephone pole as she waited for a bus is to receive $125 million to settle a lawsuit against Verizon. Maria Meister was …

California Governor Expands Workers’ Comp Coverage in Virus Cases

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed an executive order allowing employees across California’s economy to apply for worker’s compensation if they contract the coronavirus, with a presumption that it was work-related unless employers can prove otherwise. The …

Hundreds Evacuated as Wildfires Rage in Florida Panhandle

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Firefighters in the Florida Panhandle battled wildfires through the night that have forced hundreds of people to evacuate from their homes, authorities said. A more than 575-acre fire in Walton County prompted about 500 people to evacuate. …

Frontier Airlines to Mandate Temperature Screening For All Passengers

Frontier Airlines said on Thursday it would begin temperature screenings for all passengers and crew members on June 1 and bar anyone with a temperature at or exceeding 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 C). The move, in what Frontier said was …

Cryptocurrency Investor Sues Suburban NYC Teen For $71.4M Over Alleged Swindle

NEW YORK — A U.S. cryptocurrency investor on Thursday sued a suburban New York high school senior, accusing the 18-year-old of being the mastermind and ringleader of a cybercrime scheme that defrauded him out of millions of dollars in digital …

U.S. Will Not Require Automakers to Recall 56M Takata Air Bag Inflators

WASHINGTON — U.S. auto safety regulators will not require automakers to recall 56 million additional Takata air bag inflators, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Thursday, saying the devices do not pose a safety risk like the …

Viewpoint: How COVID-19 and Recession Are Upending Workers’ Comp

COVID-19 and the onset of a deep global recession are reshaping every corner of workers’ compensation, from legal issues surrounding coverage to the delivery of care to injured workers. Some of the changes can be anticipated based on prior recessions. …

Hackers Target WHO by Posing as Think Tank, Broadcaster

The messages began arriving in World Health Organization employees’ inboxes in early April, seemingly innocuous emails about the coronavirus from news organizations and researchers. But a close examination revealed that they contained malicious links, and some security experts have traced …

At Least Eleven Dead, Thousands Evacuated in India Gas Leak

A gas leak at an LG Chem Ltd. polymer plant in southern India has killed at least 11 people and forced the evacuation of thousands in the city of Visakhapatnam after the company tried to restart operations following the partial …