Latest Rhode Island Headlines
All the headlines from our Rhode Island Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Lead Paint Cos. to File Response to Proposed R.I. Abatement Plan
Dec 18 2007 // Lead paint companies are preparing to file their response to Rhode Island’s landmark $2.4 billion lead paint abatement plan. The companies have already asked a judge to strike down the entire proposal, but say they...
Engineer Says Providence, R.I. Hurricane Barrier Needs Repairs
Dec 14 2007 // A hurricane barrier protecting downtown Providence, R.I. from floods caused by major storms needs about $20,000 in repair work. City Engineer William Bombard says a gear broke several months ago, so one of the massive...
R.I. High Court Upholds Lead Paint Law Exempting Small Landlords
Dec 13 2007 // Rhode Island’s highest court has upheld a state law that requires landlords to correct lead paint problems at their properties, rejecting a constitutional challenge brought because the law exempts small,...
Deadly 2003 R.I. Nightclub Fire Spurs Complex, Ongoing Court Case
Dec 2 2007 // Plaintiffs target high-profile defendants capable of paying the victims in a case involving 100 deaths Al Prudhomme isn’t sure exactly whom to blame for a 2003 nightclub fire that killed two of his band mates, about...
R.I. Hospital Fined for Third Wrong-Side Brain Surgery
Nov 28 2007 // Rhode Island Hospital has been fined $50,000 and reprimanded by the state Department of Health after its third instance this year of a doctor performing brain surgery in the wrong side of a patient’s head. “We...
Sherwin-Williams Seeks Answers on R.I. Lead Paint Cleanup
Nov 14 2007 // Paint firm Sherwin-Williams Co. has demanded more information about the state’s proposed $2.4 billion cleanup of properties contaminated with lead paint, saying the plan has too many unanswered...
Provider Insurance of Mass., R.I. Promotes Darcey
Nov 6 2007 // Provider Insurance Group, headquartered in Needham, Mass., recently promoted William Darcey to chief operating officer. Prior to the promotion, he was senior vice president and sales manager. With 17 years of experience,...
Home Depot, Conn. Insulation Firm Settle R.I. Nightclub Fire Claims
Nov 2 2007 // Home Depot Inc. and a Connecticut insulation company have tentatively agreed to a $5 million settlement in lawsuits brought by survivors of a 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire and relatives of the 100 people killed, a...
News Currents
Oct 27 2007 // Industry urged to watch for emerging benzene, lead, welding rod torts Large pool of litigants, scientific evidence, plaintiff’s attorneys all cause for concern Actuaries need to be on the look out for emerging mass...
Lloyd’s Settles Lawsuit Against Former R.I. Governor Sundlun
Oct 12 2007 // Former Rhode Island Governor Bruce Sundlun has settled a lawsuit filed by a British insurance market that claims he owes about $300,000. Lawyers for Sundlun and the Society of Lloyd’s, based in England, say...
Actuaries Urged to Watch for Emerging Benzene, Lead, Welding Rod Torts
Oct 10 2007 // Actuaries need to be on the look out for emerging mass tort claims related to benzene, lead paint, and welding rods, despite the fact that significant legal hurdles in these cases remain. The large pool of potential...
R.I. Fire Board Urged to Update Fire Codes without Legislation
Sep 27 2007 // The Rhode Island state board responsible for overseeing Rhode Island’s fire code should update its own regulations and should seek change through the General Assembly only as a “last resort,” said Senate...
News Currents
Sep 24 2007 // R.I. wants paint makers to pay $2.4 billion Three former makers of lead paint that lost a landmark Rhode Island lawsuit, including Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams Co., would have to pay an estimated $2.4 billion to clean...
R.I. Orders Paint Makers to Pay $2.4 Billion to Clean Up Lead
Sep 17 2007 // Three former makers of lead paint that lost a landmark Rhode Island lawsuit, including Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams Co., would have to pay an estimated $2.4 billion to clean up hundreds of thousands of homes...
Several R.I. Nightclub Fire Defendants Reported Near Settlement
Sep 7 2007 // Several defendants being sued by relatives of the 100 people killed in a 2003 Rhode Island nightclub fire have tentatively agreed to a $13.5 million settlement, one of the lawyers for the families told The Associated Press...
R.I. Rep. Kennedy Urges More ‘Sunshine’ at Regulators’ Meetings
Aug 21 2007 // The nation’s insurance commissioners hold too many closed door sessions when they get together for meetings, according to a Rhode Island state lawmaker active on insurance issues. In a letter this week to the...
R.I. Governor May Relax Fire Code
Aug 15 2007 // Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri and other state officials are renewing a push to relax Rhode Island’s fire code after a bill that proposed major revisions died in the General Assembly earlier this summer. Carcieri...
R.I. Hospital Reports Third Incidence of Wrong-Site Brain Surgery
Aug 6 2007 // A neurosurgeon at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence has been disciplined for operating on the wrong side of a patient’s brain, the third time such an error has occurred at the hospital in the last six years. The...
R.I. Audit of Beacon Confirms Unfair Practices; Seeks Fines, Refunds
Aug 2 2007 // Beacon Mutual Insurance Co. will pay a $2.5 million fine, refund $7 million to policyholders and continue to implement various management changes as the result of a long-awaited audit by Rhode Island officials of the...
R.I. drivers denied day to prove insurance
Jul 23 2007 // Siding with State Police who said it would create an “unnecessary and burdensome increase in paperwork,” Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri for the second year has vetoed a bill to give motorists who are ticketed...
