Monthly Archives: <span>December 2020</span>

Michigan Funeral Home Settles LGBT Employment Discrimination Suit for $250K

A Detroit, Mich.-area funeral home has agreed to pay $250,000 to settle a lawsuit that led to a groundbreaking decision that protects gay, lesbian and transgender people from discrimination in employment. Aimee Stephens, 59, died weeks before the U.S. Supreme …

Texas County Shuts Down Bars as COVID Hospitalizations Surge

A Central Texas county has closed its bars after area hospitalizations for COVID-19 exceeded a state mandated limit. Meanwhile in Houston, officials say they are having problems with some bars that have been allowed to reopen as restaurants but are …

China Renews OK of Oceanwide’s Stalled $2.7 Billion Purchase of Genworth

U.S.-based Genworth Financial Inc. reported that Chinese officials have renewed their approval of China Oceanwide Holdings Group’s acquisition of Genworth’s Delaware-domiciled insurer, allowing the deal to proceed to meet other regulatory requirements. The deal was originally proposed in 2016, but …

California Wants Hospitals to Test All Workers for Virus

California has asked hospitals to ramp up their coronavirus testing amid a surge of new cases, urging them to test health care workers at least once per week while testing all new patients before admitting them. California reported 7,787 confirmed …

Pennsylvania Governor Strikes Down Bill That Would Have Limited COVID-19 Lawsuits

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has vetoed a bill that would have expanded liability protection against COVID-19-related lawsuits for various businesses and entities in the state as they continue to grapple with coronavirus restrictions. House Bill 1737 was initially introduced by …

Hawaii Gets Through 2020 Hurricane Season Sans Major Impact

The 2020 hurricane season set records with the number of storms in Atlantic Ocean regions, but Hawaii escaped largely unscathed in the season that has now drawn to a close. The Central Pacific basin area experienced only an early tropical …

California Will Provide $500M in Virus Aid for Small Businesses

California will provide temporary tax relief and $500 million in aid to small businesses struggling because of coronavirus outbreak restrictions, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday. The tax measures include a three-month automatic extension of the income tax payment deadline for …

Fairfax Announces Sale of RiverStone Europe to Private Equity Firm CVC

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd. announced it has entered into a binding agreement with CVC Capital Partners (CVC) to sell all of its interests in RiverStone Europe to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners for approximately $750 million. Fairfax also will …

Crum & Forster Acquires Aspen’s Food and Beverage Product Recall Business

Specialty insurer Crum & Forster (C&F) has acquired the renewal rights of Aspen’s U.S. food and beverage product recall insurance portfolio written primarily through the excess and surplus lines market. The company said the Aspen underwriting team servicing this portfolio, …

Hub International Acquires Quebec-Based Seymour Alper

Hub International Ltd., the Chicago-based insurance brokerage, announced that it has acquired Seymour Alper Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Located in Mount Royal, Quebec, Canada, Seymour Alper Inc. is an insurance and risk management firm providing innovative …