Southeast News

Higginbotham Adds South Florida Benefits Agency to Team

Texas-headquartered Higginbotham, one of the largest independent insurance and benefits firms, has added Adams Benefits of Boca Raton, Florida, to its team, the company said in a news release. The move marks an expansion into south Florida for Higginbotham, which …

NC Agent, Missouri Lawyers Convicted in $4M Tax Shelter, Insurance Scheme

A federal jury on Thursday found a North Carolina insurance agent and two Missouri lawyers guilty on all counts in a $4 million tax evasion scheme that also defrauded an insurance carrier. The jury in Charlotte, said licensed agent and …

Employer Can’t Deny Comp Claim in Shooting Then Argue Immunity, Court Says

An employer cannot deny a workers’ compensation claim on the grounds that a shooting injury was not work-related then turn around and argue it has immunity from a tort lawsuit because the incident happened at work, a Florida appeals court …

South Carolina Ringleader Sentenced to 8 Years for Staged Accidents

A man that South Carolina authorities have called a ringleader of an insurance fraud ring, who once recruited accomplices while he was in prison, has pleaded guilty to staging accidents and defrauding insurers of more than half a million dollars. …

4,800 Claims Handled by Unlicensed Adjusters in Florida After Irma, Lawsuit Says

Two south Florida lawsuits against property insurers argue that two major carriers employed a business strategy of hiring inexperienced or even unlicensed claims adjusters after storms, practices that have led to “lowball” damage estimates that fall below deductibles. In one …

Marsh McLennan Agency to Buy Fisher Brown Bottrell for About $316M

Marsh McLennan Agency, a subsidiary of Marsh, said it has a definitive agreement to acquire one of the largest agencies in the Southeast—Fisher Brown Bottrell Insurance, Inc. Marsh McLennan Agency will pay $315.9 million in cash, subject to customary purchase …

Oakbridge Adds Strawn & Co. in Georgia

Atlanta-based OakBridge Insurance Agency has continued its rapid expansion with the acquisiton of Strawn & Co., headquartered in McDonough, Georgia, south of Atlanta. Strawn is one of the Atlanta area’s oldest and largest independent insurance agencies and has been in …

Workers’ Comp Apportion Evals Must be Well-Reasoned, WV Supreme Court Says

West Virginia law, like statutes in a number of states, allows employers to try and apportion contributions to a worker’s injury, including how much a pre-existing condition may have played a role. The employer/insurer holds the burden of proof. In …

FAU Gets Grant to Study Seaweed Harvesting, Just as Blobs Approach South Florida

Researchers at Florida Atlantic University are using a $1.3 million grant to see if huge blobs of seaweed can be harvested to help mitigate the economic impact on Florida beaches. The FAU Harbor Beach Oceanographic Institute this month announced the …

Cape Coral Says FEMA Giving More Time on Questioned Rebuilding Info After Ian

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has granted the city of Cape Coral a 30-day extension to provide more information on rebuilding in the area after Hurricane Ian. The announcement came Monday, three weeks after FEMA notified local officials in southwest …

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