Articles by Andrew G. Simpson

Supreme Court Rejects Government’s Reading of Computer Fraud Law in Police Case

A Georgia police officer did not violate federal computer fraud law when he used his patrol car computer to access information on a license plate in exchange for money, even though his action violated his department’s policy against obtaining database …

No Surrender For Lawyers Pursuing Lead Paint Claims Despite Unfavorable Rulings

Peter Earle has been representing child victims of lead paint poisoning for more than 20 years and he and his fellow lawyers for the cause are not about to let another legal setback affecting three cases bring an end to …

WCRI: No Meaningful Delays in Work Comp Medical Care Despite Covid-19

Despite potential obstacles posed by the coronavirus pandemic, injured workers experienced no meaningful delays in access to medical treatment under their employers’ workers’ compensation programs during the pandemic. Research from the Workers’ Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) also shows that states …

Geico Customer Data Breach May be Part of Unemployment Insurance Scam

Auto insurer Geico recently reported that fraudsters have been stealing license numbers of its customers for the past few months and possibly using them to fraudulently apply for unemployment benefits. In a data breach notification filed with California’s data privacy …

Court Agrees Chubb Excluded Coverage in $3.3 Million Unsolicited Advertising Case

Chubb subsidiary Federal Insurance Co. does not have to pay $3.3 million that medical device services firm Mesa Laboratories Inc. wants to fund a settlement over its violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The U.S. 7th Circuit Court …

U.S. Treasury Warns Cyber Insurers Against Paying Ransomware Demands

The U.S. Treasury Department is warning that individuals or businesses that help facilitate ransomware payments may be violating anti-money laundering and sanctions regulations. The warnings came in a pair of advisories, one from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and …

Judges Nix Consolidating COVID Business Interruption Suits Against Big Insurers

A panel of federal judges has decided against consolidation of hundreds of lawsuits seeking coverage for coronavirus-related business interruption claims against major national insurers Travelers, The Hartford, Cincinnati Insurance and Lloyd’s. The insurers had opposed consolidation; some plaintiffs sought the …

Why Some Organizations Are Managing Coronavirus Risk Better Than Others

While few, if any, organizations saw the coronavirus pandemic and all of its death and disruption coming, some were better positioned to deal with it than others. According to risk expert Jim Wetekamp, some organizations were better prepared to respond …

Insurance a Major Factor in Law Enforcement Civil Rights Settlements

Municipalities, their insurers and risk pools should be heeding the current public re-examination of police and prosecutorial actions taking place across the country, according to an insurance policyholder attorney who works on civil rights cases. Attorney Alexander Brown sees the …

Insurer Defeats California Restaurant’s Coronavirus Business Loss Claim

A federal court in California has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a Los Angeles restaurant seeking business interruption losses from Travelers Indemnity due to coronavirus-related restrictions on its business. Judge Stephen Wilson of the U.S. District Court for Central California …