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Texas Roofer Appeals Class Certification in Case Alleging Hail Damage Solicitation

A Texas roofer has filed an appeal disputing a class action finding in a case involving allegations of hail solicitation that could impact 3000 of its customers. The appeals case could have implications for contractors who act as public adjusters …

Hurricane Maria Destroys Homes, Causes Flooding in Puerto Rico

The strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in more than 80 years destroyed hundreds of homes, knocked out power across the entire island and turned some streets into raging rivers Wednesday in an onslaught that could plunge the U.S. territory …

Iowa Supreme Court Hears $75 Speed Camera Ticket Case

An Iowa woman who says she was wrongly ticketed by an automated traffic camera when she wasn’t speeding has accomplished the unusual feat of getting the state Supreme Court to consider her $75 small-claims case. For Marla Leaf, 67, it’s …

Nevada Mimics Quakes to Test Bridge Designs

A day after a deadly earthquake struck Mexico City, University of Nevada scientists mimicked quakes to test new bridge designs developed to help the structures better withstand violent temblors. The engineers on Wednesday rattled a 100-ton, 70-foot (21-meter) bridge model …

New Study Finds FEMA Houston Flood Maps Outdated Long Before Harvey

The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood plain maps for parts of southeastern Houston were woefully out-of-date long before Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Texas coast, a new study suggests. Researchers at Rice University and Texas A&M University at Galveston studied one …

Are Your Letters Filled With Old-Fashioned Phrases?

Old-fashioned words and phrases clutter up claims letters, detract from a professional image and do not belong in your templates or free-form missives. I’ll list a few of these phrases and comment on each. You’re invited to disagree and to …

Leadership’s Role in Returning Employees to Work After a Disaster

Businesses and their leaders have a unique role to play in helping communities and individuals recover from the devastation of a storm like Hurricane Harvey, and they should not underestimate the power of getting employees back to work and re-establishing …

As Recovery Begins, Industry Tallies Irma’s Mounting Costs

With two Florida landfalls in the same day, Hurricane Irma‘s destructive wind and flood damage could cost up to $65 billion for both insured and uninsured losses, according to a recent estimate by CoreLogic. Residential property flood loss is estimated …

Opioid Crisis Spills Into Workplaces

At Philip Tulkoff’s food-processing plant in Baltimore, machines grind tough horseradish roots into puree. “If you put your arm in the wrong place,” the owner says, “and you’re not paying attention, it’s going to pull you in.” It’s not a …

Predators Target NFL Concussion Victims Awaiting Settlement Money

Lawyers for former NFL players now eligible for payments under the league’s $1 billion concussion settlement said Tuesday they’ve found evidence that unscrupulous third-party providers are trying to take advantage of players with significant brain damage. Christopher Seeger, a lawyer …

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