West News

Car App Jerry in California Gets $110M in Funding, Adds Services

Smart-car app maker Jerry received an additional $110 million in equity and debt financing to add its services designed to enable vehicle owners “manage all things car.” The Palo Alto, California-based company is adding GarageGuard to diagnose issues, remind car …

Pipeline Operators to Pay $12.5M After Crude Oil Spills in Montana, North Dakota

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday announced the settlement in a 2022 federal court lawsuit. Belle Fourche Pipeline Company and Bridger Pipeline LLC will pay the $12.5 million to resolve the claims made under the Clean Water Act and …

Viewpoint: California’s Next Steps on Cat Models, Challenges and Issues in Insurance Rate-Making‎

A recently brewing and critical California issue is the conflict between industry’s desire to file catastrophe rating models to inform California property rates and California’s laws allowing a public inspection of rate filings. A large majority of carriers in the …

California Lawsuit by Former Dancers Accuses Lizzo of Sexual Harassment, Hostile Work Environment

Lizzo has been sued by three former dancers who accuse the Grammy winner of sexual harassment and allege the singer and her production company created a hostile work environment. The civil lawsuit filed this Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior …

Amwins Report Keys on Disruption in Cannabis Space

The disruption in the cannabis space is having an impact on that insurance specialty from coast to coast, a new report out from Amwins shows. The report, Amwins State of The Market Report 2023: A Focus on the Cannabis Market, …

Investigators: Poor Track Conditions Caused Deadly 2021 Montana Amtrak Derailment

Poor track conditions that should have been flagged by a freight railroad company’s inspectors caused the derailment of an Amtrak train in Montana that killed three people and injured 49 others in 2021, federal investigators said in a final report. …

Warrant out for Washington Man Who Filed False Claim for Scuba Gear

Santiago G. Rodriguez, of Bothell, Washington, was added to Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s most wanted list after being charged with insurance fraud by the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest after Rodriguez failed …

Some Gains Made on 80K Acre Southern California Wildfire

Containment on an 80,000-plus-acre wildfire in Southern California grew to 23% on Tuesday, as firefighters made some progress against the state’s most massive ongoing blaze. It was listed as being at 0% containment a day earlier. The York Fire in …

Crews Battling ‘Fire Whirls’ in California’s Mojave Desert

Crews battled “fire whirls” in California’s Mojave National Preserve as a massive wildfire crossed into Nevada amid dangerously high temperatures and raging winds. The York Fire was mapped at roughly 120 square miles on Monday night, with no containment. The …

California Workers’ Comp Independent Medical Review Volume Rose in First Half of 2023

A review of the Independent Medical Review process used to resolve California workers’ compensation medical disputes shows the number of IMR decision letters rose 4.1% in the first six months of 2023 compared to the first half of 2022 after …

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