Latest Legislation Headlines
All the headlines from our Legislation Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Home Heating Oil Leak Is Covered Due to Pollution Ambiguity, Rhode Island Court Rules
Feb 20 2023 // The Rhode Island Supreme Court for the first time has found the definition of pollution in a commercial policy ambiguous enough to justify vacating a lower court’s summary judgment in favor of the insurer. The...
Excess Insurer Pays Before Municipal Pool in Boy’s Beach Death, New Jersey High Court Rules
Feb 17 2023 // AmeriTrust subsidiary Star Insurance Co. must pay the $9 million balance of a $10 million settlement in the death of a 12-year old boy who died after a trench he dug on a Long Branch, New Jersey beach collapsed on...
Kentucky Bill Advances, Would Give Lawmakers More Control of Relief Funds
Feb 17 2023 // Kentucky lawmakers took an initial step Wednesday toward giving themselves oversight of relief funds like the ones the governor created to help people recover from tornadoes and flooding. The measure, which sailed through...
Judge Upholds Maine Law Opposed by Diocese Allowing Older Sex Abuse Suits
Feb 17 2023 // AUGUSTA, Maine — A state judge on Tuesday upheld a Maine law that eliminated the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, allowing survivors to pursue lawsuits for sex crimes that happened decades ago. An attorney...
J&J Talc Unit Faces Bankruptcy Judge After Tactic Rejected
Feb 14 2023 // Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary shouldering talc-related lawsuits goes before a bankruptcy judge on Tuesday for the first time since a U.S. appeals court last month nixed the company’s attempt to offload the...
Texas Judge Rejects Bid to Nullify Boeing Deal Over Max Crashes
Feb 13 2023 // DALLAS (AP) – A federal judge has rejected an effort by families of passengers who died in Boeing 737 Max crashes to reopen an agreement that allowed Boeing to avoid prosecution for fraud in how it won regulatory...
As ChatGPT’s Popularity Explodes, U.S. Lawmakers Take an Interest
Feb 13 2023 // ChatGPT, a fast-growing artificial intelligence program, has drawn praise for its ability to write answers quickly to a wide range of queries, and attracted U.S. lawmakers’ attention with questions about its impact...
Judge Rejects Family Members’ Bid to Reopen Boeing 737 MAX Plea Deal
Feb 10 2023 // A U.S. judge in Texas late on Thursday denied a legal bid by families of the victims of two Boeing 737 MAX crashes to reopen or reject a January 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. Boeing won immunity from criminal...
EU Lawmakers Want to Extend Reach of Draft ESG Oversight of Corporations
Feb 10 2023 // A panel of European Union lawmakers on Thursday backed an amendment to extend the reach of groundbreaking draft legislation to force companies to check whether their suppliers use slave or child labor, or pollute the...
Lawmakers Focus on Aviation Safety After 2 Near-Miss Crashes
Feb 8 2023 // The U.S. Congress needs to address serious concerns about the country’s aviation system after recent incidents including two near miss crashes and the failure of a key pilot computing system, lawmakers said on...
Judge Upholds Punitive Damage Award in Prison Strip Search
Feb 8 2023 // A judge rejected a challenge on Monday by Delaware’s Department of Correction of a jury’s $15,000 punitive damage award to an inmate who was mistreated by a former prison guard during a strip search. The judge...
Oklahoma Federal Judge: Banning Guns for Marijuana Users Unconstitutional
Feb 7 2023 // OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A federal judge in Oklahoma has ruled that a federal law prohibiting people who use marijuana from owning firearms is unconstitutional, the latest challenge to firearms regulations after the U.S....
Fla. Lawmakers to Start Another Session, Could Affect Workers’ Comp, Bens for Disney
Feb 7 2023 // Florida lawmakers will meet Monday to complete a state takeover of Walt Disney World’s self-governing district and expand a migrant relocation program, key conservative priorities of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis...
Maine Lawmakers Propose Arming Security Guards or Teachers in Schools
Feb 7 2023 // AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Republican lawmakers said it’s time to beef up security in Maine schools, either with armed security officers or by allowing teachers to be armed. A bill sponsored by Rep. Steven Foster,...
Louisiana Lawmakers Approve $45M in Funding to Draw Insurers to State
Feb 6 2023 // BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – A $45 million funding bill to address soaring homeowner insurance rates in hurricane-battered Louisiana was overwhelmingly approved by Louisiana lawmakers Friday and sent to Gov. John Bel Edwards...
Florida Citizens’ Endorsement Now in Effect: Disputes to be Heard by Admin Judges
Feb 6 2023 // As of this month, most Florida Citizens Property Insurance Corp. claims disputes will now be heard and decided by the state Division of Administrative Hearings, not in a court of law. Officials at Citizens and at DOAH...
California Workers’ Comp Department’s Medical-Legal Evaluation Regulations OK’d
Feb 6 2023 // The Office of Administrative Law approved the California Division of Workers’ Compensation regulations affecting its Medical-Legal Evaluation program. The regulations include the permanent adoption of emergency...
Ethics Panel Recommends Georgia Appeals Court Judge Be Removed From Office
Feb 3 2023 // Georgia’s Supreme Court should permanently remove a state appeals court judge accused of ethical misconduct, a judicial discipline panel recommended in a report released Monday. The three-member state panel said...
Judge Allows New Jersey Town’s Suit to Recover $21M Spent on Beach Restoration
Feb 3 2023 // A New Jersey beach town that defied state environmental authorities and fixed its dunes that were seriously eroded by a storm can proceed with a lawsuit seeking to recover $21 million it spent bulking up its shoreline, but...
Judge Stays New Jersey Law Allowing AG Lawsuits Against Gun Industry
Feb 2 2023 // A federal judge has halted a New Jersey law allowing the state attorney general to bring civil lawsuits against the gun industry in that state. U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi granted a preliminary injunction against...
