Monthly Archives: <span>October 2021</span>

CCC: Fewer Auto Claims in 2021, But Repairs Take Longer and More Expensive

Auto insurance claims costs rebounded this year after plummeting during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the number of collision claims remain 15% below 2019 levels, according to a report by CCC Intelligent Solutions. While highway traffic levels — and hence auto …

J&J Puts Talc Liabilities Into Bankruptcy

Oct 14 – Johnson & Johnson on Thursday put into bankruptcy tens of thousands of legal claims alleging its Baby Powder and other talc-based products caused cancer, offloading the potential liabilities into a newly created subsidiary. J&J put the talc …

Greece: Severe Storm, Floods Batter Athens, Fire-Hit Island

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Severe storms swept across Greece Thursday, flooding hundreds of homes in Athens and prompting evacuations on the island of Evia that was ravaged by summer wildfires. Rescuers were also preparing to use helicopters to lift stranded …

Murdaugh Charged With Taking Insurance Money in Maid’s Death

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A prominent South Carolina lawyer has been charged with stealing insurance settlements meant for the sons of his late housekeeper, state police said Thursday. Alex Murdaugh was arrested at a drug rehab facility in Orlando, Florida, …

Strongest Quake Since Volcano Erupted Shakes Spanish Island

MADRID (AP) — A 4.5-magnitude earthquake shook La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands in what was the strongest recorded temblor since volcanic eruptions began 26 days ago, authorities said Thursday. The quake was one of around 60 recorded overnight, Spain’s …

At Least 46 Killed in Taiwanese Apartment Building Inferno

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (AP) — At least 46 people were killed and another 41 injured after a fire broke out early Thursday in a run-down mixed commercial and residential building in the Taiwanese port city of Kaohsiung, officials said. Neighborhood residents …

Shifting Winds Challenge Crews Fighting California Fire

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) — Shifting winds posed new challenges for firefighters battling a blaze in Southern California coastal mountains that threatened ranches and rural homes and kept a major highway shut down for days. The Alisal Fire charred more …

Malpractice Insurance Premiums Increased 22%, Despite Fewer Claims

The number of malpractice claims filed against hospitals and physicians dropped 14% last year, even as premiums rose 22% on average, according to a report by the American Society for Health Care Risk Management and Aon. An analysis of Aon’s …

Fla. Appellate Courts Uphold AOB Rulings Favoring Property Insurers

Three more appeals in assignment-of-benefits cases have resulted in rulings that favored Florida property insurers. Florida’s 3rd and 4th District Courts of Appeal handed down opinions Wednesday that upheld lower courts and found that three carriers do not owe payment …

As Ida-Hit Port Fourchon Rebuilds, Disappearing Wetlands Threaten its Future

PORT FOURCHON, Louisiana — On Louisiana’s south coast, in a key port servicing the U.S. offshore oil industry, a huge shipyard sits idle and in tatters. Where parts of the nine-bay terminal’s roof once hung, only a tangle of twisted …