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

New Hampshire to Get $40.5M in Opioids Case Settlement

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $40.5 million in a settlement with New Hampshire over its role in the opioid addiction crisis, days before the case was scheduled for trial, the state attorney general’s …

Attorney for a Top Florida Insurance Law Firm Disbarred After Forgeries, Misconduct

A former attorney with one of Florida’s top insurance defense firms has been disbarred after the Bar said she engaged in repeated acts of neglect, deception and forgery. Erika Lynn Muller, until recently a partner with the Cole, Scott & …

California Wildfires Prompt Evacuations amid Heat Wave

CASTAIC, Calif. (AP) — California wildfires chewed through rural areas north of Los Angeles and east of San Diego on Thursday, racing through bone-dry brush and prompting evacuations as the state sweltered under a heat wave that could last through …

Alabama Train Engineer Indicted in Death of Worker on Rails

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A train engineer who was allegedly chatting on video when his locomotive struck heavy equipment on the tracks in south Alabama, killing a Mississippi man, was charged with reckless manslaughter in the crash, court documents show. …

Fire a Growing Risk to Shipping Because of Lithium-ion Batteries, Allianz Says

Fire has always been a peril for shipping, but the advent of lithium-ion batteries has elevated the risk to the point that it now is the most expensive cause of loss for the industry, according to a new bulletin issued …

Starbucks Executives, Directors are Sued over Diversity Policies

Starbucks Corp. executives and directors have been sued by a conservative think tank that believes the coffee chain’s efforts to promote diversity amount to racial discrimination. In a complaint filed on Tuesday, the National Center for Public Policy Research objected …

GM’s Cruise Recalls 80 Self-Driving Cars Due to Risk of Crash

General Motors Co.’s Cruise self-driving car unit has recalled an older version of software used by its robotaxis at the time of a crash in San Francisco in June, according to federal transportation regulators. Cruise has updated the automated driving …

Two More Arrested in Long-Running Operation Rubicon Investigation

Those familiar with insurance fraud schemes in Florida will remember Operation Rubicon. That was the year-long investigation by Miami-Dade and Florida authorities into an alleged property insurance fraud scheme that involved public adjusters, restoration companies, insurance agents, a police officer …

Low Rate of Flood Insurance Cover Spells Danger as Climate Crisis Deepens

Insured losses from floods doubled to $80 billion globally during 2011-2020 compared to the previous decade, while insurance penetration lingered at just 18%, according to Swiss Re Institute’s economic insights report focused on floods. Climate change has led to an …

California OKs Bill to Protect Workers who Use Pot at Home

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California could soon become the seventh state to make sure people won’t lose their jobs if they smoke marijuana when they are off the clock. State lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bill that would stop companies …