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

Oklahoma Court Says Home Warranty Contract Is Insurance, Nixes Forced Arbitration

A home warranty contract is an insurance contract. That’s the conclusion of the Oklahoma Supreme Court in a case in which the plaintiffs challenged a mandatory arbitration provision in a home warranty contract, maintaining such provisions are not legal under …

Coronavirus Disruption Drives Demand for AI-Powered Supply Chain Risk Software

For the past seven years, a Munich-based firm called riskmethods has tried to interest companies in buying software that allows them to track all their suppliers in a way that minimizes risks in operating globally spread supply chains. Until recently, …

AmTrust, Ex-CFO to Pay $10.5M to Settle SEC Charges Of Improper Reserves Reporting

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged insurance company AmTrust Financial Services and Ronald E. Pipoly Jr., its former chief financial officer, with failing to disclose material facts about how the company estimated its insurance losses and reserves for …

Profits Over Safety: Grand Jury Says PG&E Ignored Warnings in Wildfire That Killed 85

A scathing grand jury report released Tuesday after a 2018 Northern California wildfire killed 85 people found that Pacific Gas & Electric officials repeatedly ignored warnings about its failing power lines, performed inadequate inspections to focus on profits and refused …

U.S. Automakers Stressing Covid Safety at Work and Home as Plants Rev Up

Automakers are speeding up U.S. assembly lines to meet recovering demand, increasingly confident coronavirus safety protocols are working to prevent outbreaks in their plants but wary of the challenges workers face outside. Screening workers for COVID-19 using temperature scans and …

Supreme Court Rejects Appeals Over Police ‘Qualified Immunity’

The U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up a new test of “qualified immunity,” rejecting several appeals that challenged the legal doctrine that has become a broad liability shield for police officers accused of civil rights violations. Qualified immunity has …

Justice Department Outlines Broad Overhaul of Social Media Legal Protections

The Justice Department on Wednesday outlined a broad overhaul of legal protections for online platforms such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. if they deliberately promote illegal speech on their websites. The proposals, which could upend the companies’ business …

California Orders Workers’ Comp Carriers to Return Premiums Due to Stay-At-Home Orders

California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has issued an order adopting emergency workers’ compensation regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new regulations go into effect on July 1. The regulations require insurance companies to recompute premium charges for policyholders …

Arkansas Governor’s Order Grants Businesses Virus Lawsuit Protections

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson has granted businesses protections from coronavirus lawsuits, while the state’s epidemiologist said she’s concerned loosened restrictions may have caused some to lower their guard against the virus. Hutchinson signed executive orders that grants similar immunity to …

Lloyd’s of London Apologizes for Its ‘Shameful’ Role in Atlantic Slave Trade

The Lloyd’s of London insurance market has apologized for its “shameful” role in the 18th and 19th Century Atlantic slave trade and has agreed to fund charities and organizations promoting opportunities for black and ethnic minority groups. About 17 million …