Articles by Dave Collins

Connecticut Insurers: Homes Must Fall Down to be Eligible for Coverage

Connecticut residents whose home foundations are crumbling are facing a perplexing problem with their insurance policies: The damage won’t be covered unless their homes collapse. More than two dozen insurance companies being sued in federal court by 40 homeowners recently …

Insurers’ Use of Cell Tower Data to Deny Claims Comes Under Scrutiny

It took Jaclyn Bentley nearly three years to prove she didn’t burn her house down for the insurance money, allegations she and her lawyer say were born of the junk practice of analyzing cellphone tower data. She was camping with …

Hartford Officials Refuse to Pay if Damages Awarded in Police Officer Lawsuit

Officials in the city of Hartford have reversed their position and now say they won’t pay damages that might be awarded against two city police officers in an upcoming trial over an illegal police search that ended with one of …

Connecticut High Court Rejects Workers’ Injury Suit Against Contractor

Two workers injured in a power plant explosion that killed six other people in 2010 cannot sue a contractor for negligence, the state Connecticut Supreme Court recently ruled. Justices issued a 6-1 decision saying O&G Industries of Torrington is immune …

Connecticut Supreme Court Denies Wife’s Emotional Distress Workers’ Comp Claim

A Connecticut woman who found her 77-year-old husband crushed to death under an all-terrain vehicle when she brought him lunch at his job cannot sue his employer for severe emotional injuries she suffered, the state Supreme Court ruled recently. Justices …

Connecticut High Court Blocks Injury Suit Against Contractor

Two workers injured in a power plant explosion that killed six other people in 2010 cannot sue a contractor for negligence, the state Connecticut Supreme Court recently ruled. Justices issued a 6-1 decision saying O&G Industries of Torrington is immune …

Connecticut Father, Son Challenge Government’s Authority to Regulate Recreational Drones

A Connecticut father and son are headed for a court showdown with the Federal Aviation Administration over whether the agency can force them to disclose information about drones shown in two YouTube videos firing a gun and deploying a flame …

Conn. Court: Law Doesn’t Bar Suits Against Cigarette Manufacturers

Cigarette manufacturers aren’t immune to lawsuits by smokers who get sick, Connecticut’s highest court ruled Monday in a decision that bolsters the case of a smoker who was stricken with laryngeal cancer and won a $28 million judgment against R.J. …

Catholic Church in Hartford Battles Insurer Over Priest Sex Abuse Claim Payments

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford has taken its dispute with an insurance company to trial, seeking reimbursement of more than $1 million in payments made to settle sexual misconduct cases involving priests and minors. Testimony began last Friday in …

Insurance ‘Sting’ Aims to Catch Cargo Thieves During Their Busy Holiday Season

Somewhere in America, a tractor-trailer loaded with hidden surveillance equipment is parked at a truck stop or warehouse while authorities wait for thieves to steal it. No one is sure when, or even if, crooks will take it. But such …