Monthly Archives: <span>May 2010</span>

Florida Case Could Hold Private Firms, Insurers Liable for Foster Kids’ Injuries

A few months after a 10-year-old child was placed with eight other children in a Tampa foster home overseen by a single mom, a 13-year-old boy sneaked into his room and raped him in 2005. But Hillsborough Kids Inc., a …

State Farm to Seek Home Insurance Rate Hike in Mississippi

State Farm will file a rate increase with Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney in the next few months. Company spokesman David Majors said that details are still being worked out. Last year, State Farm boosted rates by an average of …

U.S. Slams Transocean’s Attempt to Limit Liability for Oil Spill

The Obama administration Tuesday slammed as “inappropriate” an attempt by Transocean Ltd to limit its liability for its role in the BP Plc oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to under $27 million. Noting that the law the company …

Class Status Granted in Connecticut Volleyball Lawsuit

A federal judge has granted class action status to a lawsuit filed by members of Quinnipiac University’s volleyball team alleging gender discrimination in the school’s athletic programs. Judge Stefan Underhill’s ruling means if he finds Title IX violations, he could …

New Hampshire Fight over Malpractice Fund Surplus Continues

The tug-of-war over surplus money in a state-created malpractice insurance fund intensified Monday, with the insurance commissioner seeking to change the fund’s rules and the policyholders heading back to court. The Joint Underwriting Association fund was created by the Insurance …

Justice Department Defends Retroactive Liability Limit on BP

The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday that Congress could retroactively impose a higher liability cap on BP Plc to pay for the damage from its growing oil spill, and the company would likely lose if it challenged the higher cap …

Lloyds, Other Insurers Sue to Block BP Claim Against Transocean

Lloyd’s of London has asked a U.S. court to block a claim filed by oil major BP seeking damages against driller Transocean, which drilled the well which is currently gushing crude into the Gulf of Mexico. Lloyds underwriting syndicates and …

Lloyd’s Estimates Chile Quake Loss at $1.4 Billion; Oil Spill $300 to $600 Million

Lloyd’s of London announced that it estimates its net claims before tax from the earthquake in Chile to be in the order of $1.4 billion. Current estimates for the net claims from the Deepwater Horizon explosion in the Gulf of …

U.S. Hurricane Center Director Says Haiti is ‘Biggest Concern’

U.S. National Hurricane Center director Bill Read said Tuesday that earthquake-ravaged Haiti was his biggest concern as another Atlantic hurricane season gets under way. He also acknowledged that a powerful storm could wreak havoc with efforts to fight the massive …

Markel International Launches New Trade Credit Division at Lloyd’s

Markel International, a subsidiary of Markel Corp. that operates in the Lloyd’s market, has launched a new trade credit division. Ewa Rose, who joined Markel earlier this year, has been named as managing director of the new division. Senior underwriters …