Articles by Thomas Seal

British Columbia Can Mount Opioid Class Action, Canada’s Top Court Says

The province of British Columbia can bring a class action lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies for opioid harms on behalf of multiple governments across Canada, the country’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday. In 2018, BC sued more than 40 drug manufacturers, …

Insurer Says Pollution Exclusion Sinks Coverage for Pool Chemical Injuries

A commercial general liability policy with a pollution exclusion does not protect a Virginia homeowners association from lawsuits filed by swimmers alleging they were injured by chemicals discharged into the community pool. That is the argument made by Philadelphia Indemnity …

Howden Survey Shows Cyberattacks Cost UK Businesses $55.3B During Past 5 Years

Cyberattacks cost U.K. businesses approximately £44 billion (US$55.3 billion) in lost revenue over the past five years, according to research published by Howden, the London-based insurance intermediary group. Half of those businesses (52%), or 1.3 million private sector companies, have …

Moody’s: Rising Flood Risks Posing Greater Challenges for Eastern and Southern US

Flood risk is rising across the Eastern and Southern states from extreme rainfall, hurricanes, and sea level rise, according to a new report by Moody’s Ratings. The increasing flooding hazard poses “significant credit challenges” that include rising property insurance rates, …

US Auto Sales Set to Rise in November Amid Steeper Discounts, Report Shows

New vehicle sales in the U.S. are projected to have risen 6.7% in November from a year earlier, driven by higher discounts to clear elevated inventory, according to a joint report by industry consultants J.D. Power and GlobalData last week. …

Zoom Offers $18 Million to Settle SEC Privacy Probe From 2020

Zoom Communications Inc. has offered $18 million to settle a four-year-old U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission probe related to its privacy policies and communications. In the most recent quarter, the company recorded an $18 million expense for a “tentative settlement …

Supreme Court Seeks US Views in $1 Billion Music Copyright Case

The U.S. Supreme Court sought the federal government’s views in a billion-dollar copyright clash between the music industry and internet provider Cox Communications Inc. Entertainment companies including units of Sony Group Corp., Warner Music Group Corp. and Universal Music Group …

T-Mobile Engineers Spotted Hackers Running Commands on Routers

Suspicious behavior on T-Mobile U.S. Inc.’s network devices tipped off the company to a breach that was potentially part of a sprawling cyber-espionage campaign that has raised urgent questions about the exposure of a critical sector of the economy. Jeff …

Nissan Persuades US Court to Decertify Brake Defect Class Actions

Nissan persuaded a federal appeals court to decertify 10 class actions accusing the Japanese automaker of selling cars and SUVs with defective automatic emergency braking systems that caused vehicles to stop suddenly for no reason. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court …

Netflix Defeats Shareholder Lawsuit Over Growth Forecasts

Netflix won the dismissal on Tuesday of a shareholder lawsuit accusing the streaming company of downplaying the impact on subscriber growth of account sharing, where paying members share user names and passwords with nonpaying members in other households. The proposed …