Monthly Archives: <span>March 2018</span>

States Experiment with How to Address Towing and Storing Abuses

As stories about nonconsensual or “predatory” practices proliferate, a number of states have begun to consider legislation to mitigate some of the abuses of the towing and vehicle-storage industry. However, we remain a ways off from anything like a national …

Walmart Talking with Health Insurer Humana on Closer Ties, Possible Acquisition

U.S. retailer Walmart Inc. is in early-stage talks with health insurer Humana Inc. about developing closer ties, with the acquisition of Humana being discussed as one possibility, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Should the talks lead to …

Youths’ Climate Change Suit Has Potential Impact on a Historic Scale for Insurance

A three-year-old lawsuit by a group of youths against the U.S. over climate change, which looks to now get a new trial date at some point this year, has the potential to open up lawsuits on a historic scale, according …

Louisiana Senate Backs Higher Civil Penalties in Hazing Death Lawsuits

People who file civil lawsuits in Louisiana when someone dies from hazing could be in line for higher penalty payments, under a bill that won easy passage from the state Senate. Senators voted 28-3 Wednesday for Senate Bill 91 by …

Texas’ Galveston County Looking to Elevate 200 Flood-Prone Homes

Preliminary estimates indicate that a hurricane recovery program in southeast Texas could elevate as many as 200 homes that have been repeatedly flooded. The Daily News reports that Galveston County commissioners received details about the plan on March 26 from …

Nebraska Woman Sentenced to 10 Months for $300K-Plus Theft from Employer

An accountant accused of embezzling from the Nebraska Rural Electric Association has been sent to prison. Federal prosecutors say 42-year-old Sarah Batenhorst, of Lincoln, was sentenced to 10 months and ordered to pay restitution of nearly $344,000. She’d pleaded guilty …

More than $1B Sought by Houston-Area Leaders for Flood Control

Officials in the Texas county hardest hit by Hurricane Harvey want to ask voters to approve up to $2 billion in bonds to fund critical flood-control projects, but worried Tuesday about potential roadblocks. Harris County, home to Houston, plans to …

$1.27M Settlement Proposed in Ohio State Fair Death

A proposed $1.27 million settlement has been announced with the family of an 18-year-old killed in an accident last year at the Ohio State Fair. Court documents show the parents of Tyler Jarrell would receive $870,000, and the rest will …

Third Person Charged in Waterslide Death of Kansas Boy

A man involved in the design of the world’s tallest waterslide into has been indicted along with two others in connection with the death of a 10-year-old boy at the Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas. John Schooley was included …

Oracle’s Java Copyright Violation Claim Against Google Not Dead After All

A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday resurrected a multi-billion dollar copyright case brought by Oracle Corp. against Alphabet Inc.’s Google. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said Google’s use of Oracle’s Java development platform to create the …