Monthly Archives: <span>August 2022</span>

Excess Insurer’s Policyholder Had No Duty to Settle Suit that Resulted in $13M Verdict

An insurer cannot escape liability for its share of a $6 million payout because the retailer it insured refused to accept a settlement offer by a customer who who was struck by a forklift, a panel of the 7th Circuit …

Demotech Downgrades 3 Carriers in Florida; Regulators Outraged

Just two weeks after the Demotech financial rating firm set off a firestorm of controversy by warning that it could soon downgrade as many as 17 Florida property insurers – then promised to hold off – the firm has now …

Viewpoint: La. and N.Y. Appellate Courts First to Find Physical Loss from COVID-19 Shutdowns

There is a hole in the dam. Prior to June 14, every one of the 77 federal and 44 state court appellate decisions interpreting the meaning of “direct physical loss or damage” in a standard-form commercial property insurance policy had …

Tennessee Sues Walgreens Pharmacy Chain over Opioid Distribution

The state of Tennessee sued Walgreens on Wednesday, accusing the retail pharmacy giant of fueling the state’s opioid epidemic by willfully flooding the market with an oversupply of prescription narcotics in violation of consumer protection and public nuisance laws. According …

Record Amount of Seaweed Is Choking Shores in the Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Near-record amounts of seaweed are smothering Caribbean coasts from Puerto Rico to Barbados, killing fish and other wildlife, choking tourism and releasing stinky, noxious gases. More than 24 million tons of sargassum blanketed the …

New Zealand Climate Plan Includes Relocating Some Homes

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government on Wednesday released its first-ever climate adaptation plan, which includes the possibility of moving some communities to higher ground. But the six-year plan, which runs nearly 200 pages, comes up short on …

Deadly California Wildfire Wipes Out Scenic River Town

KLAMATH RIVER, Calif. (AP) — Roger Derry, 80, and his son have lived together in the tiny scenic hamlet of Klamath River in Northern California for more than 40 years. They know most of the town’s 200 or so residents. …

Home Modifications Required by Pa. Work Comp Law Do Not Include a New Home

Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation law authorizes modifications to a home to accommodate an injured employee’s needs. It also may require paying for a new van for a disabled worker. However, does the law go so far as to require an employer …

10th Circuit Revives Races Discrimination Suit by Former Farmers Agent

A federal appellate court revived a former insurance agent’s race discrimination claim against Farmers Insurance Exchange. A panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the trial court erred by determining that a manager’s alleged comment about …

Bishop Accused in Lawsuit of Abusing Child Decades Ago

BOSTON (AP) — A former parishioner at a Massachusetts church has filed a lawsuit alleging he was sexually abused as a child more than 30 years ago by a Roman Catholic priest who is now an auxiliary bishop in the …