Pennsylvania Contractor Ordered to Pay $85K Owed to 6 Workers on Federal Projects
An administrative law judge has ordered a Pennsylvania-based federal contractor to pay $85,284 in back wages for failing to pay prevailing wages, fringe benefits and overtime pay owed to workers employed on multiple federal construction projects, according to the U.S. …
Natural Disaster Losses Below Average Through Q3, Despite Higher Frequency: Report
Although 2024 has seen significant global natural catastrophe activity, economic costs were slightly below average through the third quarter, according to Gallagher Re’s latest Nat Cat report. The total economic loss from natural perils in the first three quarters of …
Meta Must Face State Lawsuits Over Teen Social Media Addiction
Facebook parent company Meta must face lawsuits by U.S. states accusing it of fueling mental health problems among teens by making its Facebook and Instagram platforms addictive, a federal judge in California ruled on Tuesday. Oakland-based U.S. District Judge Yvonne …
Progressive to Pay Policy Limits in Fatal Boat Crash That Involved Murdaugh’s Son
Progressive Insurance will pay $500,000, the policy limits, to the family of a young woman killed in a 2019 boat crash involving Alex Murdaugh’s youngest son, essentially ending the family’s legal actions in the tragedy. Progressive, which insured the boat …
State Says Exiting Steward Health Lacks Required Insurance for Employees, Physicians
Thousands of Massachusetts medical professionals and other employees of troubled hospital operator Steward Health Care are at risk because Steward does not have adequate liability or workers’ compensation coverage in place to protect them after Steward exits the state, officials …
Hurricane Milton Insured Losses in $30B-$50B Range, Says Verisk
Catastrophe modeler Verisk said it expects insured losses from Hurricane Milton will be between $30 billion and $50 billion from damages caused mostly by wind. Verisk’s Extreme Event Solutions group said the range includes privately insured losses to onshore property …
FEMA Workers Change Response Tactics in North Carolina After Threats
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Federal disaster workers paused and then changed some of their hurricane-recovery efforts in North Carolina, including abandoning door-to-door visits, after receiving threats that they could be targeted by a militia, officials said, as the government response …
City of London Chief Says Brexit ‘Disaster’ Cost 40,000 Finance Jobs
Britain’s departure from the European Union cost London’s financial center about 40,000 jobs, the Lord Mayor of the City of London told Reuters, a far deeper impact from Brexit than previous estimates. Michael Mainelli said Dublin had gained most, attracting …
UK Fears Chinese Hackers Compromised Critical Infrastructure
Chinese state actors have made widespread — and likely successful — efforts to access British critical infrastructure networks, according to UK officials, underscoring fears of vulnerabilities to increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks by foreign powers. Senior ministers in the Labour government have …
Lufthansa Agrees to Pay $4M Penalty Over Treatment of Jewish Passengers
Lufthansa has agreed to pay a $4 million penalty for allegedly discriminating against Jewish passengers who were trying to board a connecting flight in Frankfurt in May 2022, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Tuesday. Lufthansa prohibited 128 Jewish passengers, …
Italy to Tap Banks, Insurers for €3.5 Billion in Budget Plan
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet is tapping Italy’s banks and insurers to help finance its budget, according to a new plan designed to deliver on giveaways pledged to voters. Most of the amount will be raised by postponing tax deductions …
Explaining Deductibles After Multiple Florida Hurricanes
Deductibles serve several purposes. They provide some premium relief for the insured. They make insureds less likely to file smaller claims because either damage falls within the deductible, or is so close to it that the policyholder would rather not …
The ‘Waffle House Index’ Helps Residents, FEMA Gauge a Storm’s Severity
Golden hashbrowns, gravy-smothered biscuits and crispy waffles with a hearty helping of maple syrup are among the classic Southern comfort foods. But when hurricanes tear through Southeastern towns, the hot meals and bold yellow signs of the local Waffle House …
Far From Milton’s Eye, Tornadoes Wrought Unexpected Damage
WELLINGTON, Fla. (AP) — Tony Brazzale, a diving boat captain who has lived for 10 years in his Wellington home in southeastern Florida, wasn’t worried about Hurricane Milton. The storm’s center was forecast to make landfall on the opposite side …
Oregon County Adds Utility to $51B Climate Suit Against Fossil Fuel Companies
Oregon’s Multnomah County, home to Portland, has added the state’s largest natural gas utility to its $51.5 billion climate lawsuit against fossil fuel companies over their role in the region’s deadly 2021 heat- dome event. The lawsuit, filed last year, …
Average Weekly Wage Increase Bumps California Workers’ Comp Benefits for 2025
California’s State Average Weekly Wage rose nearly 3.8% in the year ending March 31, resulting in an increase in California workers’ compensation temporary total disability and permanent total disability rates for 2025 work injury claims and other workers’ comp benefits …
Google Endorses Bill to Reveal Funders Backing Lawsuits
Google is endorsing a bill that would require people filing lawsuits to disclose who will be paying for – and profiting from – the litigation. The bill, introduced last week by California Republican Representative Darrell Issa, would require plaintiffs to …
Jury Says J&J Must Pay $15 Million to Man Who Claims Talc Caused His Cancer
Johnson & Johnson must pay $15 million to a Connecticut man who alleges that he developed mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, as a result of using the company’s talc powder for decades, a jury found on Tuesday. Plaintiff Evan …
Washington’s Landmark Climate Law Hangs in The Balance This Election
A groundbreaking law that forces companies in Washington state to reduce their carbon emissions while raising billions of dollars for climate programs could be repealed by voters this fall, less than two years after it took effect. The Climate Commitment …
Former Triple-I Exec Says He Was Fired After Testifying in Bullying Case Against CEO
A former employee of the Insurance Information Institute is suing his former boss and the organization’s owners on allegations of discrimination and retaliation. Michael Barry, who worked at Triple-I for more than 17 years and was a senior vice president, …