Monday 31 December 2012

Daily Headlines: Monday, December 31, 2012

Claims Journal Daily Headlines
December 31, 2012
News By Region  National  International  East  Midwest  Southeast  South Central  West

Today's Headlines

National

P/C Insurers' Pre-Sandy Results Show Reduced Catastrophe Losses

Before Hurricane Sandy hit, private U.S. property/casualty insurers' net income after taxes grew to $27 billion in nine-months 2012 from ...

New Year's Day Is Tops For Pedestrian Deaths

Drinking and driving is a much-publicized, dangerous combination, but is walking after drinking any safer? "No, alcohol impairs your ...

Vega to Recall 30,000 Motorcycle Helmets

Vega Helmet Corp. is recalling more than 30,000 XTS motorcycle helmets after testing found that a few did not meet crash protection safety ...

Retailers Recall 150,000 Baby Recliners of Defunct Manufacturer

Four national retailers agreed to recall more than 150,000 Nap Nanny baby recliners after at least five infant deaths and dozens of reports ...

Navigating the Rental Car Insurance Highway

On a recent business trip, Shelly rented a car using her American Express card. She opted for the rental company's auto insurance ...
East

Long-Awaited New Hampshire MTBE Pollution Liability Trial to Start

Nearly a decade after it was first brought, a lawsuit accusing two oil giants of widespread groundwater contamination in New Hampshire is ...

Lawyer Seeks OK to File $100M Claim Against State for Connecticut School Shooting

A lawyer who wants to sue Connecticut for $100 million on behalf of a 6-year-old survivor of the Newtown school shooting says the potential ...
Midwest

Nebraska Safety Chief Wants Texting, Seat Belt Bills in 2013

A Nebraska highway safety official says discussions are afoot for legislation next year that would make it a primary offense to text while ...

Michigan Groundskeeper Sued Over Boy's Sledding Death

The family of an 11-year-old boy who was killed while sledding at a Grand Haven, Michigan park is blaming a part-time groundskeeper. Chance ...
Southeast

Florida Limits Doctor-Lawyer Talks in Malpractice Cases

Malpractice defendants must not try to circumvent a Florida law that bars them from obtaining confidential medical information about ...

Alabama Video Instructs What to Do If Shooting Occurs

The Alabama Department of Homeland Security has released a video that instructs people on what to do in the event of a shooting like the ...

Florida Court Allows Drivers to Rebut Presumption of Fault in Rear-End Crashes

Florida's high court has ruled that drivers that cause an automobile accident by striking another car from behind can still sue the other ...

Ex-Louisville Football Player Sues School, Coach

A former University of Louisville football player has sued the school and coach Charlie Strong and says he was coerced into covering up a ...

Georgia Man Gets 'Bionic Hand' After Workplace Accident

Tim Hall of Decatur, Georgia always meets a stranger with a handshake. Whatever reluctance his greeter might feel is quickly assuaged when ...
South Central

Texas 'Hurricane Domes' Do Double Duty as Storm Shelters

Most of the time, the windowless building with the dome-shaped roof will be a typical high school gymnasium filled with cheering fans ...

Texas City Police, Officials Face Harassment Lawsuit

Nine people have filed a civil rights lawsuit against the city of Bovina, accusing a former police chief and other city officials of a ...
West

Author Mortenson, Charity Sue Insurer Over Defense Costs for Montana Probe

"Three Cups of Tea" co-author Greg Mortenson and his charity are suing their insurer to cover the cost of defending their legal woes of the ...

Utah Taser Death Claim Settled

A settlement has been reached in a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of an Arizona man who died in 2009 after a southern Utah ...

Connect with Claims Journal

Twitter Facebook LinkedIn


Claims Journal TV

Video thumbnail

Sinkhole Investigation and Damage Evaluation

In this month's Forensic Guide, Dan Barton, geotechnical division manager at Rimkus Consulting...
Video thumbnail

Disaster Fraud in the Wake of Hurricane Sandy

Todd Fannin, director of Claims for LexisNexis, provides insight into disaster fraud in the...

TV icon Watch more videos at InsuranceJournal.tv

Current Issue

Fall 2012
Current Issue

More Newsletters

Choose Newsletters
Enter Your E-mail

How to Advertise

For information about advertising on this newsletter and ClaimsJournal.com, contact Howard Simkin at (800) 897-9965 x162.
View our Media Kit for advertising options in our magazines and online properties.
ClaimsJournal.com
3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92108
(800) 897-9965
Copyright © 2012 by Wells Media Group, Inc.

Weekly Reader Picks: Monday, December 31, 2012

Insurance Journal Weekly Reader Picks
December 31, 2012

Top 10 for the Past Week

1.Farmers Agents Sue Carrier Over Contracts, Taking Client Info
Dec 27, 2012 -- A group of Farmers Group Inc. agents have filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging the Los Angeles, Calif.-based carrier has undercut them by sharing their data with a competing subsidiary and several ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

2.6 Things for Independent Agents to Worry About in 2013
Dec 28, 2012 -- The 100-plus year-old independent agency distribution system is expanding, according to Future One's 2012 Agency Universe Study. The number of independent agencies, it states, has recently increased to 38,500. Still, ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

3.P/C Insurers’ Loss Reserves Continue to Surprise Analysts
Dec 27, 2012 -- Analysts at two rating agencies, Fitch and Moody's, believe property/casualty insurers' prior-year loss reserve takedowns will continue to outpace reserve additions in 2013. The analysts spoke about P/C industry ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

4.Atlanta Hospitals to Form Own Insurer
Dec 19, 2012 -- Two of Atlanta's largest hospital systems have announced plans to form their own insurance company. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported  that Piedmont Healthcare and WellStar Health System have announced plans to ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

5.The Price Is Right: Insurance Pricing in Today’s Market
Dec 26, 2012 -- In the long-running game show of the same name, contestants vie with one another to figure out the right price to win valuable prizes. Insurance pricing isn't all that different. Managing the ups and downs of pricing ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

6.Congress Repeals Insurance Booklet Mandate at Car Dealerships
Dec 26, 2012 -- The U.S. Senate has approved legislation that would eliminate the requirement that new-car dealerships keep on hand an information booklet about insurance. The bi-partisan legislation, H.R. 5859, endorsed by the ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

7.25 Ways to Grow Your Independent Agency in 2013
Dec 17, 2012 -- As the calendar flips to 2013, growth-minded independents must decide how to build their agencies over the upcoming year. The options are endless, and they straddle both the physical and digital worlds. Here are 25 ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

8.N.Y. Agency Owner Charged With Issuing Fraudulent Certificates of Insurance
Dec 28, 2012 -- Authorities said a New York-based insurance agency owner has been charged with allegedly issuing fraudulent certificates of insurance. The New York State Police announced on Dec. 22 that Walter Davis, the owner of W. ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

9.A Look at New Insurance Laws Taking Effect in 2013
Dec 19, 2012 -- With 2013 just around the corner, a number of states are preparing to implement new insurance-related laws. Insurance Journal highlights some of the changes that will take place around the country. ALABAMA Beginning ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

10.Improving Your Sales Process by Answering the Phone
Dec 17, 2012 -- This post is part of a series on insurance marketing and training sponsored by Astonish. It's almost maddening how many sales opportunities are lost by insurance agents, CSRs, producers, or even receptionists who ...
Tweet Like on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Popular Videos

Watch this Video Privacy & Security Coverage and Trends
Watch this Video The Evolution of Today's Privacy & Security Policies
Watch this Video Selling Data Breach Coverage to Small-Medium Sized Businesses

More Newsletters

Choose Newsletters
Enter Your E-mail
Insurance Journal
3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92108
(800) 897-9965
Copyright © 2012 by Wells Media Group, Inc.

This Week's Most Popular: Monday, December 31, 2012

Claims Journal This Week's Most Popular
December 31, 2012

Top 10 for the Past Week

1.Appeals Court Allows Firm's Cybertheft Claim Against Employee
Dec 28, 2012 -- In a decision that could make it easier for businesses to police cybertheft in the workplace, a U.S. appeals court revived a chemical company's lawsuit accusing a former Toronto-area employee of using her home computer to steal trade secrets from ...
2.Art Insurers Face Record Loss from Superstorm Sandy
Dec 28, 2012 -- Fine art insurers face claims of up to half a billion dollars, their biggest ever payout, to compensate the owners of artwork destroyed when Superstorm Sandy flooded galleries in New York. Work by 1960s graphic artist and illustrator Peter Max ...
3.How to Investigate Heating Equipment Fire Losses
Dec 28, 2012 -- Dave was making his way through his house trying to find out why his smoke detectors were sounding … then he saw it. Scorched paint and burned places covered the wall above the fireplace, and small flames were visible in several places. While ...
4.Woman With Broken Ankle Can Sue Michigan Department of Transportation
Dec 28, 2012 -- The Michigan appeals court has ruled in favor of a woman with a broken ankle, saying it's the state's responsibility to take care of a parallel parking lane on a popular stretch of M-22 in Suttons Bay. Helen Yono, a 69-year-old from Livonia, was ...
5.Lawsuit Focuses on Flood Insurance Claims, Classification of Basement
Dec 28, 2012 -- A recently filed class action lawsuit in New Jersey is alleging "improper handling" of certain flood insurance claims arising out of Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012. The lawsuit focuses on the classification of the lowest ...
6.Report: Trucking Firm in New York Crash Had Violations
Dec 27, 2012 -- A trucking company involved in a deadly 35-vehicle pileup on the Long Island Expressway has a blemished safety record. Newsday reports that Jewell Transportation Inc. has been cited at least 23 times for unsafe driving since 2011. Federal ...
7.Jury Rules That Owner of Historic North Carolina Inn Set Fire
Dec 27, 2012 -- The company that owned of a historic inn in Asheville, N.C., that burned down four years ago won't be able to collect on a $6 million insurance policy after a federal jury ruled it help intentionally set the fire. The Asheville Citizen-Times ...
8.Italy Wraps Up Probe of Cruise Liner Shipwreck
Dec 27, 2012 -- Prosecutors in Tuscany have officially finished their probe of the Costa Concordia shipwreck that killed 32 people off the Italian coast. Prosecutors deposited some 50,000 pages of evidence Thursday with court officials. The evidence includes ...
9.EPA Releases Progress Report on Fracking Study
Dec 27, 2012 -- The Environmental Protection Agency has released a progress report on its research into potential impacts of natural gas hydraulic fracturing and drilling on drinking water. The update released Friday doesn't come to any conclusions and the final ...
10.New Jersey Court: Pet Sitter Can Sue Dog's Owners Over Bite
Dec 26, 2012 -- A New Jersey appellate court says a woman injured by a dog she was being paid to watch can sue the animal's owners. The Star-Ledger reports the Bergen County woman agreed to care for her neighbor's golden retriever while they were on vacation. In ...

Popular Videos

Watch this Video Sinkhole Investigation and Damage Evaluation

More Newsletters

Choose Newsletters
Enter Your E-mail
ClaimsJournal.com
3570 Camino del Rio North, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92108
(800) 897-9965
Copyright © 2012 by Wells Media Group, Inc.