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.

Citizens’ Cerio Pushes Back Against Senator’s Questions About Insurer’s ‘Solvency’

The CEO of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. has denied that corporation representatives have been unresponsive to Congressional requests for financial information, in the wake of unsettling comments from Gov. Ron DeSantis that Citizens is “not solvent.” “We believe we fully …

Florida High Court Ruling Could Cut Damages for Bars Serving Booze to Minors

Insurers in Florida can can contemplate potentially lower loss costs on liquor liability policies after a recent state Supreme Court ruling that clarified when bars and restaurants can be held partially versus completely liable for some alcohol-related injuries. The court, …

5th Circuit Finds Travelers Policy Excluded Waste Dumping by Mississippi Firm

Courts have found that policy exclusions often fail due to ambiguous wording. In the case of a Mississippi company that allegedly dumped corrosive wastewater into sewer systems, though, Travelers Casualty and Surety Company’s pollution exclusion seems to have nailed it, …

Florida Jury: NICO Did Not Act in Bad Faith in Crash That Killed 4 Women From Spain

Six months after a federal appeals court upheld a $12 million verdict against a waste-hauling company in a crash that killed four Spanish women in the Florida keys, a jury has found that the firm’s insurer did not act in …

A Look at the Liquor Liability Landscape

Liquor liability availability and pricing have put small business owners in the alcohol-related sector in some states in a bind. While securing coverage is easy in some areas, premiums have skyrocketed and carriers have pulled out of others. “Every state …

Suit Says OnStar, LexisNexis Shared Driving Data With Insurers, Spiking Rates

Do motorist-assistance systems like GM’s OnStar feed data to auto insurers, resulting in higher premiums for some drivers? A south Florida man says indeed, they do, and has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against General Motors and LexisNexis Risk Solutions, …

Moonlighting Cop Not Independent Contractor? NC Supreme Court Says Hold on

The North Carolina Supreme Court has temporarily put the brakes on an appeals court decision that had upset years of workers’ compensation case law on when a moonlighting law officer is considered an independent contractor. In the case of Stephen …

Florida Lawmakers Approve Surplus Takeouts but Stop Short on Nonrenewal Limits

A number of property insurance-related bills were introduced in the Florida Legislature this year – from a fundamental change to the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. coverage model to further limiting policy cancellations after a storm. But only a handful of …

Fed Court Wants Florida Supremes to Clarify Rule That Can Bar Subrogation Recovery

In the next year or so, the Florida Supreme Court will decide on the exact meaning of a legal doctrine that, under one interpretation, has blocked millions of dollars per year in subrogation recovery for liability insurance companies. The 11th …

Florida Surplus Lines Saw ‘Monumental’ Growth in February, FSLSO Says

Surplus lines in Florida saw a huge increase in premium, policy count and new business for February compared to the same month last year, a spike in growth that the Florida Surplus Lines Service Office called “monumental” and “eye-popping.” The …