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

Forensics Firm Says Disinfectant Foggers Can Damage Electronics

A forensic engineering firm is warning that using foggers to disperse disinfectants — a common practice as businesses reopen after COVID-19 closures — may cause permanent damage to electronic equipment. Atlanta-based Envista Forensics released a paper last week cautioning business …

French Court Orders Insurer AXA to Pay Restaurant’s COVID-19 Losses

PARIS — A Paris commercial court ruled that insurer AXA must pay a restaurant owner two months’ worth of coronavirus-related revenue losses, the restaurateur’s lawyer said on Friday, possibly opening the door to a wave of similar litigation. AXA said …

As Nation Reopens, a Historic Referendum on Risk Begins

WASHINGTON — We are becoming a nation of amateur actuaries, calculating the risk of restarting our lives. Can we go outside? Can we go back to work? Can we go to a restaurant or bar? Can we go to the …

Meatpacking Safety Recommendations Are Largely Unenforceable

MINNEAPOLIS– Federal recommendations meant to keep meatpacking workers safe as they return to plants that were shuttered by the coronavirus have little enforcement muscle behind them, fueling anxiety that working conditions could put employees’ lives at risk. Extensive guidance issued …

Pacific Hurricane Forecast Complicated by Coronavirus

HONOLULU — The Central Pacific basin including Hawaii should expect to see between two and six tropical storms or hurricanes this year, federal forecasters said Wednesday. The annual National Weather Service prediction came as wary Hawaii residents begin to emerge …

Insurers Support Federal Backstop for Future Pandemics; Plaintiffs Seek Help for Current Outbreak

Key segments of the property/casualty insurance industry, which is facing mounting claims for business interruption losses from the pandemic, have thrown their lobbying weight behind a proposed federal program to replace revenues lost by businesses shut down during pandemics like …

Michigan Flood Puts Privately Owned Dams in Harsh Spotlight

The dams that breached after days of heavy rain in central Michigan are privately owned and had been the center of controversy for several years. Now Governor Gretchen Whitmer is saying these critical facilities should not be in private hands. …

U.S. Insurers Propose Taxpayer-Funded Business-Loss Coverage For Future Pandemics

With U.S. insurance companies facing criticism over their response to the coronavirus outbreak, three industry groups on Thursday proposed putting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in charge of a taxpayer-backed program to protect businesses from revenue losses during future …

J&J’s Baby Powder Switch Sets an End Date for Legal Liability

Johnson & Johnson’s decision to phase out the talc-based version of its iconic baby powder may signal the company is moving out of litigation-defense mode over allegations the product causes cancer and preparing for a global settlement of almost 20,000 …

Millions Evacuated From India, Bangladesh as Cyclone Nears Making Landfall

Authorities along India’s east coast and neighboring Bangladesh evacuated millions to safer places and shut some factories as the biggest cyclonic storm in two decades makes landfall, causing heavy rain and strong winds in the region. Amphan, now equivalent of …