INSURANCE NEWS
Wi. Barley Supplier Fined $174K for Exposing Workers to Hazards
A Wisconsin company that supplies malt barley to major craft breweries, home breweries, and other spirit and food production in the Midwest has again been found exposing employees to dangerous workplace hazards by federal safety inspectors. The U.S. Department of …
Minnesota Lawmakers Start Down Path to Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – The Minnesota Legislature embarked on a path toward legalizing recreational marijuana for adults last Wednesday when a legislative committee held the first hearing of the year on a bill that backers say is designed to …
Warming Trend Continues in 2022 and Expensive Weather Events Pack Punch
According to data presented during a joint NASA and NOAA webinar earlier this month, 2022 was among the warmest years recorded since the late 19th century – continuing a trend that has shown gradual global temperature warming in recent decades. …
Tesla Video Promoting Self-Driving Was Staged, Engineer Testifies
A 2016 video that Tesla used to promote its self-driving technology was staged to show capabilities like stopping at a red light and accelerating at a green light that the system did not have, according to testimony by a senior …
Purmort & Martin Buys Lovinger Agency in Tampa
Purmort & Martin Insurance Agency, one of the oldest agencies in the Sarasota, Florida, area, is expanding with the acquisition of Tampa-based Lovinger Insurance. Lovinger is a property-casualty agency serving policyholders in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, the company said in …
Insurers Do Not Have to Defend in Kentucky Opioid Litigation, Federal Appeals Court Finds
Two insurance carriers have no duty to defend or to indemnify Quest Pharmaceuticals in lawsuits brought over the drug distributor’s role in the opioid crisis, a federal appeals court decided last week. The opinion could bolster U.S. insurers’ arguments that …
World Insurance, Kin Make Moves in Florida, South Carolina
New Jersey-based World Insurance Associates has acquired Volaris Insurance Group of Tampa. World Insurance, one of the larger brokerages in the United States, said in a statement that Volaris will expand the broker’s presence in Florida. Volaris provides business insurance, …
DOXA Acquires Indiana’s Bradshaw
DOXA Insurance Holdings is pleased to announce the acquisition of Bradshaw Insurance Group, Inc (BIG), a sixth-generation insurance agency. BIG is a Delphi, Indiana-based managing general agent (MGA) offering a full suite of services specializing in niche transportation insurance products, …
People Moves: TXOGA Names Carlton as President; Long Joins Alliant in Texas
TXOGA Announces New President of the TXOGA Insurance Agency The Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) has named Neal Carlton as president of the TXOGA Insurance Agency, headquartered in Austin, Texas. Carlton most recently served as vice president of membership …
Appeals Court Rules Insurers Not Obligated to Defend Distributor of Opioids
Westfield National Insurance Co. and Motorists Mutual Insurance Co. are not required by their insurance contracts to defend generic drug distributor Quest Pharmaceuticals against dozens of opioid-related lawsuits. According to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, language in the …
President Approves California Disaster Declaration
President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in California and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, flooding and landslides. The president’s action makes federal funding …
Massachusetts to Weigh Proposed 4% Cut in Workers’ Compensation Rates
The Massachusetts insurance department will hear testimony virtually on February 3 regarding a proposed 4.0% decrease in average workers’ compensation rates. The rate filing submitted by the Workers’ Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau of Massachusetts in December calls for a …