Monthly Archives: <span>March 2021</span>

Supreme Court Rejects Ford Stance in Product Liability Venue Dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled against Ford Motor Co. in a case in which the second-largest U.S. automaker had sought to bar two state courts from hearing product liability suits involving a pair of serious crashes. Ford …

Contractor Fined $74K Over Asbestos-Tainted Debris at Oregon Site

A company has been fined over $74,000 for improperly sending asbestos-tainted debris to a landfill in Southern Oregon. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality described the violations as “major magnitude violations,” but said the problems have since been “properly abated …

Arizona City’s Computer System Slowly Recovering From Cyberattack

Officials in Kingman say the city’s computer system is slowly getting back to fully operational after a recent cyberattack. The city also said it has insurance to help with the process. The Feb. 26 attack from an unknown source knocked …

When Lights Go Out as They Did in Texas, Insurance Coverage Could Turn On

The power was still off in Texas last month when rating agencies began predicting that the weather-related catastrophe would cause unprecedented losses for insurance companies. On February 19, rating agency A.M. Best forecast that insurance companies “could suffer record first-quarter …

White House to Require Software Firms to Disclose Breaches to Government Customers

A planned Biden administration executive order will require many software vendors to notify their federal government customers when the companies have a cybersecurity breach, according to a draft seen by Reuters. A National Security Council spokeswoman said no decision has …

Judge Lets Massachusetts Claims Over Uber, Lyft Driver Classification Proceed

A Massachusetts judge on Thursday denied a bid to dismiss a lawsuit by the state’s attorney general challenging Uber’s and Lyft’s classification of drivers as independent contractors instead of employees entitled to sick time and other costly benefits. Suffolk County …

At Least 111 Texans Died in During Winter Storm; Most from Hypothermia

At least 111 Texans died as a result of the February 2021 winter storm, according to updated numbers released on March 25 by the state Department of State Health Services. The newly revised number is nearly twice what the department …

Container Ship Could Block Suez Canal Like a ‘Beached Whale’ for Weeks

ISMAILIA, Egypt – A huge container ship blocking the Suez Canal like a “beached whale” may take weeks to free, the salvage company said, as officials stopped all ships entering the channel on Thursday in a new setback for global …

Forecasters Warn Severe Storms Could Spawn Tornadoes in South

Forecasters are predicting another outbreak of severe storms in several southern states on Thursday, with the potential for strong tornadoes that carve up the ground for miles. The greatest threat, into Thursday evening, will be in parts of Mississippi, Alabama …

Alera Group Acquires E3 Outsource of Florida, Launches National Employee Benefits Helpline

Alera Group, an employee benefits, financial services and risk management company, has acquired E3 Outsource, an employee benefits management and technology firm. The acquisition became effective March 1, 2021. The E3 Outsource acquisition provides enhanced employee benefits services to Alera …