liability News

SEC’s WhatsApp Probe Expands as Moody’s, S&P Hit With Fines

Moody’s Corp., S&P Global Inc. and Fitch Ratings Inc. will pay a combined $48 million over allegations that the credit-rating companies failed to keep proper electronic communications — the latest fallout from US regulators’ so-called WhatsApp investigations. The Securities and …

HP to Continue $4 Billion Damages Case Against Mike Lynch

Hewlett Packard said it would continue legal proceedings to seek up to $4 billion in damages from British billionaire Mike Lynch’s estate in the UK. The U.S. company had been seeking compensation over its acquisition of British tech firm Autonomy …

Judge Agrees to Ask State Supreme Court About Barriers to $4B Hawaii Wildfire Settlement

The Hawaii Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in on an issue that threatens to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires. Judge Peter Cahill on Maui agreed to ask the state high court questions …

Halliburton Sees Unlikely Material Impact From Cyberattack

Halliburton Co., the world’s largest provider of fracking services, said a recent cybersecurity attack that’s disrupted its business is unlikely to materially impact its finances or operations. The Houston-based company continues to evaluate the nature and scope of the breach …

Court Rules Lyft is a Motor Carrier and State Farm Can Be Sued Directly

Georgia lawmakers this year put an end to direct-action lawsuits against trucking companies’ insurers, but that did not come soon enough to bar litigation brought by people involved in accidents with ride-sharing services. The Georgia Court of Appeals this week …

Underwriters Wary of PFAS Amid ‘Superstorm’ of Litigation, Regulation

As litigation and regulation increase around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), insurance underwriting is tightening across lines. Insurance professionals who specialize in PFAS say insurers are mandating coverage exclusions and, in some cases, declining to write liability policies at all …

Sunk Superyacht Likely to Cost Insurers At Least $150 Million, Experts Say

Insurers of the Bayesian superyacht that sank this month, killing tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and six others, could be on the hook for at least $150 million, according to the first estimates by industry experts. The British-flagged 56-meter-long (184-foot-long) yacht, …

NTSB Report Faults Faked Trucking Company Logs in Fatal 2022 Bus Crash

A crash that killed three passengers on a party bus on a Virginia highway was caused by a fatigued truck driver working for a company that allowed its drivers to log excessive hours, a federal report concluded this week. The …

GM Must Face Big Class Action Over Faulty Transmissions

General Motors was ordered by a federal appeals court to face a class action claiming it violated laws of 26 U.S. states by knowingly selling several hundred thousand cars, trucks and SUVs with faulty transmissions. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court …

The Murdaugh Drama Continues: Store That Sold Beer Now Suing its Insurers

The saga of the Murdaugh family in South Carolina continues, now with a convenience store company suing its liability insurers for failing to defend it against a second lawsuit stemming from the sale of beer to an underage Paul Murdaugh …