Latest California Headlines
All the headlines from our California Topic Page, ordered by recency.
AM Best Downgrades Issuer Credit Rating of Crusader in California
Feb 3 2020 // AM Best has downgraded the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating to “bbb” from “bbb+” and affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of B++ (Good) of Crusader Insurance Co. The outlook of the Long-Term ICR has...
Judge Orders J&J to Pay $344 Million Over Vaginal Mesh Implants Marketing
Feb 3 2020 // Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $344 million for misrepresenting the risks of vaginal-mesh implants to consumers in California, the first state to bring its claim against the company to trial after thousands of...
Jury Orders Apple, Broadcom to Pay $1.1 Billion for Infringing CalTech Wi-Fi Patent
Jan 31 2020 // Apple Inc. and Broadcom Inc. must pay $1.1 billion in damages for infringing California Institute of Technology patents on Wi-Fi technology, a jury in California ordered. Apple was ordered to pay $837.8 million while...
California’s Topa Insurance Company Promotes Yates, Tillinghast
Jan 30 2020 // Topa Insurance Company, one of the wholly owned subsidiaries of Topa Insurance Group – a boutique insurance holding company based in Calabasas, Calif. – has promoted Kelly Yates to vice president of Claims and...
AmWINS Names Bromiley Vice President in California
Jan 30 2020 // AmWINS Group Inc. has named Christopher Bromiley a vice president and casualty broker in the AmWINS Insurance Brokerage of California’s Los Angeles office. Bromiley will focus on primary and excess placements for...
Kobe Bryant Copter Company Had 2 Other Fatal Crashes in 35 Years
Jan 29 2020 // Island Express Helicopters Inc., the California-based charter company involved in Sunday’s crash that killed retired basketball star Kobe Bryant, has been involved in four previous crashes over the past 35 years, two...
Bender Insurance Solutions in California Names Wood Vice President of Personal Lines
Jan 29 2020 // Sacramento, Calif.-based Bender Insurance Solutions has promoted Jeffrey Wood to vice president of personal lines. Wood will continue to expand the sales and service offerings of the personal lines department, and provide...
Beazley Adds Sanches as Underwriter in Southern California
Jan 29 2020 // Specialist insurer Beazley has appointed Justin Sanches as an underwriter within the U.S. healthcare liability team. Sanches joins Beazley’s Los Angeles, Calif., office to underwrite a range of global miscellaneous...
Insurers Say Proposed California Regs Could Axe Discounts for Millions
Jan 28 2020 // The American Property Casualty Insurance Association testified today in opposition to draft regulations they say could eliminate many affinity group insurance discount programs during a pre-notice workshop held by the...
2 Arrested in $20M Workers’ Comp Fraud And Kickback Scheme
Jan 28 2020 // A pair of California men have been charged with multiple felonies in a reported $20 million kickback scheme involving worker’s compensation. Bradley Dean Groscost, 59, of Westminster, and Felix Koltsov, 57, of...
California Commissioner Spearheading National Cannabis Insurance Framework
Jan 28 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara is at the forefront of shaping how state insurance regulators all over the U.S. will deal with the legal cannabis market. Lara is not only the chief insurance regulator of the...
California Vineyard Spills Nearly 100K Gallons of Red Wine into River
Jan 27 2020 // More than 97,000 gallons of red wine spilled from a tank at a vineyard in Sonoma County and eventually leaked into the Russian River, an accident officials said could hurt water quality in the 110-mile tributary flowing...
4.6M Earthquake Confirmed in Southern California Desert
Jan 27 2020 // A small earthquake rattled the Southern California desert on Friday, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, the U.S. Geological Survey has confirmed. A temblor with a preliminary magnitude of 4.6 struck...
Worldwide Facilities Names Carrillo Assistant Vice President in California
Jan 27 2020 // Worldwide Facilities has named Juliet Carrillo assistant vice president and broker in the Los Angeles, Calif., property department. Carrillo has worked as both an underwriter and surplus lines broker in her 30-year...
CIWA Conference Hit on Array of Topics
Jan 27 2020 // California has a big year of issues ahead, including passing a massive budget through the Legislature, dealing with the fallout from wildfires in recent years, homelessness, and tackling climate change. Those were among...
California Sleep Apnea Company Pays $37.5M to Settle Kickback Lawsuits
Jan 27 2020 // ResMed, a San Diego, Calif.-based company that sells sleep apnea machines, will pay $37.5 million to settle allegations that it provided kickbacks to obtain customer referrals, federal prosecutors announced in...
California Insurance Wholesalers Look at Gig Economy Law
Jan 27 2020 // A sweeping California gig economy law was the focus of a lot of the talk this year during an annual insurance wholesalers conference. Assembly Bill 5, California’s gig worker law was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in...
McKesson Board Settles with Investors for $175M Over Distributor’s Role in Opioid Crisis
Jan 26 2020 // McKesson Corp.’s board reached a $175 million settlement with investors who claimed directors failed to maintain adequate internal systems for spotting suspicious opioid shipments, as the U.S.’s largest drug...
California Clears Way for Those with Cannabis Convictions to Get Insurance Licenses
Jan 24 2020 // California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara today announced a measure that enables people with cannabis-related convictions to obtain an insurance license. Lara announced the California Department of Insurance will use...
Making Big Oil Pay for Climate Change May Be Impossible
Jan 24 2020 // Exxon Mobil dodged a bullet last month when a judge rejected a novel climate-change lawsuit brought by New York’s attorney general. The case began with a promise from state officials that there would be a historic...
