Monthly Archives: <span>June 2011</span>

Maine Jury Awards $6.7M in Malpractice Case

A Maine jury has awarded $6.7 million to a woman whose husband died at Eastern Maine Medical Center following an all-terrain vehicle accident. A Penobscot County jury on Monday granted the award to 49-year-old Paula Braley, of Lee, for the …

Supreme Court Denies Huge Sex Bias Class Action Against Wal-Mart

The Supreme Court rejected a mammoth class-action lawsuit charging sex discrimination at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. on Monday in a ruling that could affect major cases in other industries. The justices unanimously overturned a U.S. appeals court ruling that more than …

New Jersey Town Approves Heliport for Powerbroker’s Firm

The Evesham, New Jersey Township Planning Board has approved a proposal to build a heliport despite objections from a nearby hospital and residents. Permission for the landing area was requested by the insurance firm Conner, Strong & Buckelew, whose chairman …

Expert Assesses Cyberinsurance Market: Demand, Prevention, Recovery

Demand for cyberinsurance was rising even before the most recent highly-publicized parade of breaches at major corporations and organizations. After the news of the first major Sony hack but before the subsequent reports involving Sony, Citicorp, the International Monetary Fund …

54 Students Win Insurance Industry Scholarships

InVEST, an insurance industry classroom to career education program, has awarded $47,000 in scholarships to 54 students who are pursuing insurance-related degrees. This year’s scholarship winners represent 20 schools and hail from California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Nebraska and New York. …

Zurich Issues Loss Estimate for Spring Storms in U.S.

Zurich Financial Services Group said it currently estimates aggregate claims of approximately $295 million for both Zurich North America and Farmers Re relating to the series of severe weather-related events that hit the U.S. in April and May of this …

Survey: Insurers Say Mergers Yield Stronger Competitive Position

More than 60 percent of insurers say that their most recent merger accomplished the desired objective of competitive position strengthening— double the success rate reported by non-insurers involved in mergers. While strengthening competitive position is mentioned most frequently as a …

Alabama Governor Tackles Tornado Recovery, Home Insurance Options

Anyone with a suggestion or complaint about Alabama’s recovery from the deadly tornadoes in April should know that the buck stops with the governor. Gov. Robert Bentley said he’s not looking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency or anyone else …

West Virginia Offers Firefighters Relief on Workers’ Compensation

West Virginia’s volunteer fire departments looking to offset anticipated increases in their workers’ compensation insurance premiums can turn to a website launched by the state auditor’s office. Auditor Glen Gainer’s office was tasked by the Legislature with developing a program …

Tennessee Caps Awards in Malpractice, Civil Damage Cases

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has signed a measure to cap payouts for medical malpractice and other civil cases that he said is good for business in the state. The law places a $750,000 cap on non-economic damages such as pain …