Latest Contractors Headlines
All the headlines from our Contractors Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Oregon High Court Says Cab Company Workers Aren’t Independent Contractors
Dec 14 2015 // The Oregon Supreme Court ruled last week that a Portland taxicab company must pay unemployment insurance taxes for certain drivers because they were improperly classified as independent contractors. The case comes amid...
Uber Winning Support in States for Classifying Drivers as Contractors
Dec 11 2015 // State legislators in Ohio and Florida are moving ahead with regulations governing Uber and other ride services that would designate all drivers as independent contractors, bolstering a critical but much-disputed aspect of...
Warming to Alternative Classifications for Gig Economy Workers
Dec 10 2015 // Judges and juries around the country are being asked to decide whether Uber and Lyft drivers and other participants in the “gig economy” are really independent contractors or just employees in disguise. But...
San Antonio Framing Contractor Cited After Worker Falls to Death
Dec 9 2015 // Federal safety officials have cited a San Antonio-based framing contractor after a worker fell 35 feet to his death at a work site in Kyle, Texas. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Longhorn...
Insurance Lies Clients Believe – And Pass on to Others
Dec 7 2015 // Myths, legends and lies are hard to dispel and correct, especially when doing so appears to financially harm the teller or believer. If the myth is true, the client (the teller/believer) does not need to purchase the...
Ex-Contractor Wins $20M in Bribery Suit against Louisiana DOTD
Dec 7 2015 // A former contractor has won a $20 million suit he filed against the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) over a 2007 incident he says cost him his business because he refused to pay a bribe to a...
Why Wage and Hour Claims Keep Rising
Dec 2 2015 // This was another historic year for federal wage and hour lawsuits. Using data obtained from the Federal Judicial Center, law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP reported that 8,781 cases were filed in 2015 under the Fair Labor...
PartnerOne Launches Contractors Pollution & Professional Product
Dec 1 2015 // PartnerOne Environmental is working in partnership with Berkley Environmental, a Division of Berkley Specialty Underwriting Managers, to offer PartnerOne Contractors Pollution & Professional. This product is a combined...
Wisconsin Contractor Cited 4 Times in 3 Years for Safety Violations
Nov 30 2015 // For the fourth time in three years, a Bloomer, Wis., roofing contractor was found ignoring workplace safety laws, federal and state safety officials say. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said...
4 Common Business Issues When Evaluating Wrap-Up Programs
Nov 16 2015 // As the cost of commercial, public entity and residential construction continues to increase, owners and developers are seeking inventive ways to reduce insurance costs while maintaining effective coverages for the parties...
The Rebound Continues as Contractors & Builders Expect to Grow Again in 2016
Nov 16 2015 // The Rebound Continues as Contractors & Builders Expect to Grow Again in 2016 Builders and contractors can expect another year of steady growth in 2016 and so can the insurance specialists that serve this rebounding...
Kentucky Court: Mine-Safety Laws Don’t Apply to Subcontractors
Nov 12 2015 // Kentucky’s mine-safety laws and regulations didn’t apply to a subcontract worker who died while installing a massive garage door on a building at a mine site in Muhlenberg County, the state’s Supreme...
Fatal Dallas Construction Site Fall Leads to $400K Fine for Contractors
Nov 11 2015 // A fall from a third-story balcony in Dallas killed 44-year-old Jorge Carrion Torres as he worked on the exterior of an apartment complex on May 14, 2015. As a result the federal Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health...
Georgia Roofing Contractor Accused of Insurance Fraud
Nov 10 2015 // A Macon, Ga.-based roofing contractor was arrested for insurance fraud and damage to property, according to Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens. Law enforcement officers from Hudgens’ Fraud Division and the...
North Dakota Roofing Contractor Fined $105K in Worker Safety Probe
Nov 3 2015 // Federal labor officials say a North Dakota roofing contractor has been cited as a result of a worker safety investigation. The U.S. Department of Labor says inspectors found Fargo-based Lorz Construction failed to provide...
Louisiana Supreme Court Says Grocer Not 100% Liable for Slip and Fall
Nov 2 2015 // In a decision handed down in mid-October, the Louisiana Supreme Court reversed an appeals court decision assigning 100 percent liability to a grocery store in a customer slip and fall case. Louisiana’s Third Circuit...
Owners of Home Destroyed by Wyoming Landslide File Suit Against Contractor
Nov 2 2015 // The owners of a home destroyed in a landslide in Jackson, Wyo., have filed a lawsuit saying construction work made the hillside below their house unstable. Jeremy and Sara Budge are seeking compensation from construction...
3 Years After Sandy, Thousands of Storm Survivors Still Can’t Go Home
Oct 30 2015 // Three years ago, Superstorm Sandy slammed the New Jersey shore, destroying homes, splintering boardwalks, wrecking businesses and displacing thousands of people. Three years later, several thousand still cannot get back...
Louisiana Supreme Court: Grocer not 100% Liable for Slip, Fall
Oct 23 2015 // In a decision handed down in mid-October, the Louisiana Supreme Court reversed an appeals court decision assigning 100 percent liability to a grocery store in a customer slip and fall case. Louisiana’s Third Circuit...
Owners of Home Destroyed by Wyoming Landslide File Suit Against Contractor
Oct 23 2015 // The owners of a home destroyed in a landslide in Jackson have filed a lawsuit saying construction work made the hillside below their house unstable. Jeremy and Sara Budge are seeking compensation from construction and...
