Articles by William Rabb

Rabb is Southeast Editor for Insurance Journal. He is a long-time newspaper man in the Deep South; also covered workers' comp insurance issues for a trade publication for a few years.

Prime Insurance Avoids $60M Judgment in Liposuction Death Case in Georgia

Prime Insurance Co. is not liable for $60 million in damages after two patients died following liposuction at a Georgia clinic, thanks in part to the clear wording of the insurance policy and timely action by the insurer, a federal …

Safepoint’s Florida Startup, Manatee Insurance Exchange, Gets COA, Financial Ratings

Florida regulators have approved another reciprocal property insurance company and it has received ratings from two financial rating firms. Manatee Insurance Exchange, a spinoff from Tampa-based Safepoint Insurance Co., was granted a certificate of authority Feb. 2 by the Florida …

Florida High Court Says Appraisals Can Be Compelled Before Coverage Decided

The Florida Supreme Court has resolved a conflict between differing appeals court decisions, deciding that property insurers can be compelled to submit to the appraisal process long before causation, coverage and misrepresentation issues are settled in claims disputes. “For the …

Florida Bills Would Let Surplus Lines Do Takeouts and Require More Data Reporting

A key Florida Senate committee this week advanced a bill that would allow surplus lines carriers to take over coverage of second homes from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Reaction by agents and brokers was mixed. The issue of having the …

Are Some Florida Workers’ Comp Judges Bending to the Political Winds on Fees?

Attorney fees in Florida workers’ compensation cases seem to be part of a story that will never end, and a state appeals court has added new life to the story with decisions that give support to both sides of the …

WV Supreme Court Denies Insurers’ Appeal in Chlorine Leak that Damaged Plant

A group of 12 insurance companies cannot yet appeal a trial court’s finding that contamination exclusions did not bar coverage for a chemical plant that was damaged when 90 tons of liquid chlorine leaked from a ruptured rail car in …

Florida Condos Say They Can’t Get Coverage. House Bill Would Let Citizens Step In

When a Florida Senate committee last week approved a bill that would raise the policy limit on homes that can be written by the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., state Sen. Doug Broxson said the change was needed because of …

Florida Senate Committee Adopts Litigation Funding Rules; Expands Wrongful Death

Litigation financing could soon become more transparent and less influential in Florida, but a 34-year-old restriction on who can file medical malpractice wrongful death claims would be expanded under bills approved Monday by a key Florida legislative panel. The Senate …

Class Actions Filed Over Builders Mutual, Progressive’s Own Data Breaches

Progressive Casualty Insurance and North Carolina-based Builders Mutual Insurance Co. have been served with class-action lawsuits over data breaches on their own computer systems in 2022, cyber attacks that may have exposed the personal data of more than 411,000 people. …

Medical Experts May be Needed, Even in Negligence Claims – Kentucky Supreme Court

When a baseball umpire, well-traveled in college conferences, went to a hospital for X-rays on his surgically repaired ankle in 2015, a hospital attendant pushing the ump’s wheelchair accidentally bumped his foot against a desk. The question that has percolated …