Southeast News

Update: NC High Court Strikes Down Compensability of Weight-Loss Surgery

The North Carolina Supreme Court has undone rulings by an appeals court and the state’s Industrial Commission that had granted workers’ compensation insurance payments for a woman’s weight-loss surgery. And in doing that, the high court formally adopted a multi-factor …

Dean’s Sausage Faces $116K OSHA Penalty Over Alleged Workplace Hazards

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says that a second inspection of Dean Sausage Co. Inc. in Ayyalia, Alabama found similar workplace safety hazards as identified in a 2022 inspection, prompting the agency to propose $116,153 in penalties. …

Med Mal Trial Must Resume in Mysterious Case of Broken Hips at Florida Hospital

Call it the mystery of the broken hips. In 2017, 36-year-old Michael Barber attempted to take his own life by swallowing four types of medications. He then had a change of heart and called 9-1-1. He was conscious when emergency …

People: Atlas Elevates Two in Florida, Tennessee’s Assistant Commissioner Retires

Atlas Insurance has named Jared Hawkins and Michael Howard partners in the Sarasota-based agency. Howard is a third-generation insurance agent at the firm and Hawkins is a second-generation agent who specializes in construction coverage, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. Hawkins has …

Stacking Cracks: 30 Years of UIM Coverage Rules Are Wrong, NC Supreme Court Says

North Carolinians can no longer stack underinsured motorist policies to compare to liability limits in order to boost the amount of coverage in an accident, the state Supreme Court said last week in a decision that overturns 30 years of …

West Virginia Lawmakers Ban Smoking in Cars with Kids Present

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia, which has the highest rate of adult cigarette use in the nation, became the 12th state to ban smoking in vehicles with children present under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice on …

Two Crew Members on Florida-based Cruise Line Die in Ship’s Engineering Space

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Two crew members on a Holland America cruise ship died during an “incident” in the ship’s engineering space, the cruise line said. The unidentified crew members died Friday while the Florida-based Nieuw Amsterdam was at …

Alabama Sales Rep and Clinic Owner Sentenced in $28M Billing Fraud Scheme

A medical sales representative and a pain clinic owner in Alabama have been sentenced to years in prison for their roles in a long-running, $28 million fraud scheme that involved a compounding pharmacy, unneeded nerve tests and a former workers’ …

Three Weeks Before Trial, Former Georgia Commissioner Oxendine Pleads Guilty

ATLANTA (AP) — A former Georgia insurance commissioner who made a failed Republican run for governor has pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud. John W. Oxendine of Johns Creek entered the guilty plea Friday in federal court …

Alabama Bill Would Let Alfa Federation, Not Insurer, Sell Health Plans. BCBS Opposes

Alfa, one of the largest property-casualty insurers in Alabama, is clarifying that it is not planning to move into the health insurance business: A hotly debated bill in the state Legislature would allow Alfa’s affiliated farmers federation to offer a …

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