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Houston Rockets Becomes First NBA Team to Sue Insurer Over Denied Covid-19 Claims

The Houston Rockets and billionaire owner Tilman Fertitta are suing their insurer for denying the National Basketball Association team’s bid to tap its business-interruption insurance policy over revenue losses from the Covid-19 pandemic. Fertitta’s Rocket Ball Ltd. and Clutch City …

Warning of ‘Trivial’ Suits, Judge Dismisses Cruise Passengers’ COVID-19 Claims

A federal judge dismissed lawsuits by Grand Princess cruise ship passengers who sued for emotional distress caused by their fear of exposure to COVID-19, saying that allowing their cases to proceed would “lead to a flood of trivial suits.” Judge …

Next Showdown in Congress: Protecting Workers vs. Protecting Employers in Pandemic

Congressional leaders are squaring off over the next pandemic relief bill in a debate over whom Congress should step up to protect: front-line workers seeking more safeguards from the ravages of COVID-19 or beleaguered employers seeking relief from lawsuits. Democrats …

Second Wave of Coronavirus Lockdowns Could Weaken Insurers’ Capital Buffers: S&P

Global insurers have proven resilient during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, as their capital strength has helped stave off widespread downgrades; however, insurers’ capital buffers will erode through the second half of the year as financial market losses …

Some Churches, Officials Struggle to Balance Right to Worship with Coronavirus Risk

Crowded bars and house parties have been identified as culprits in spreading the coronavirus. Meat packing plants, prisons and nursing homes are known hot spots. Then there’s the complicated case of America’s churches. The vast majority of these churches have …

P/C Insurance Survey: 55% Back Worker Presumption; 54% See Interrupt Cases Failing

A slight majority (54%) of property /casualty insurance industry professionals think insurers will succeed in defeating legal and political attempts to force them to pay business interruption claims from the coronavirus pandemic. A slight majority (55%) also believe that that …

Essential Workers With COVID-19 Face Workers’ Compensation Uncertainty

Lauded for their service and hailed as everyday heroes, essential workers who get the coronavirus on the job have no guarantee in most states they’ll qualify for workers’ compensation to cover lost wages and medical care. Fewer than one-third of …

It Took Coronavirus Pandemic to Settle Bayer’s Roundup Suits: Viewpoint

In late June, Bayer AG agreed to pay $9.5 billion to settle about 100,000 lawsuits that accused Roundup, the popular herbicide it acquired when it bought Monsanto in 2018, of causing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The settlement came about even though Bayer …

Coronavirus Crisis Heightens Insurers’ Caution About Senior Care Market

The coronavirus pandemic has made it even harder for senior-care centers in the United States to find or afford standard liability insurance, with rates soaring by as much as 300%, insurance brokers said. Residential care communities like nursing homes and …

Coronavirus Business Interruption Claimants Lay Out Federal Plan to Reimburse Insurers

A U.S. lawmaker has introduced a bill that would allow insurers to voluntarily pay certain COVID-related business interruption claims and get reimbursed by the federal government, but insurance groups have rejected the idea. Although the text of H.R. 7412, the …