Content from Jim Sams
Court Rejects Liberty Mutual Bid to Charge Employer for Claims Paid from Exempt Workers
A workers compensation insurer cannot charge an employer an extra $1.7 million in premiums for the risk presented by employees who were exempt from coverage under Iowa's workers' compensation law, a ...
Is COVID Physical Damage? Plaintiffs Relying on Bacteria, Ammonia and Cat Urine Rulings
In 1963, congregants noticed a strange odor in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church in Littleton, Colo. Some suspected a gas leak or maybe spilled stationary ink. Others thought the smell ...
Michigan Judge Rejects Restaurants’ COVID-19 Business Interruption Claim
A trial court judge in Lansing, Mich., handed a victory to insurers in what may be the nation's first final ruling on the question of whether a property insurer is liable for financial damages caused ...
Most Work Injuries Keep Declining, With Vehicle Accidents a Notable Exception
While the frequency of workers compensation claims has continued a decades-long decline, the number of work injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents has continued a steady increase that began in ...
‘Catastrophe’-Level Insured Losses From Riots Could Rival Record
Rioting that erupted in cities across the United States after the Memorial Day death of George Floyd in Minneapolis may rival the 1992 Los Angeles riots to become the most costly civil disorder in ...
Not All Homes in Wildfire Zones Are Uninsurable; Zesty.ai Refines Scoring Model
Fire risk scores now used by insurance underwriters can sometimes make it challenging for homeowners to find coverage. Zesty.ai, a California InsurTech startup, is among a handful of firms working to ...
101 and Climbing: No. of Federal COVID Biz Interruption Lawsuits Expected to Rise
As of last Wednesday, a federal court had received notice that 101 lawsuits have been filed as of seeking coverage from insurers for business interruption losses caused by COVID-19, and plaintiffs ...
COVID-19 Fallout: Pressure Grows for Workers Comp Federal Backstop
An executive order by California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week is the most aggressive yet among the directives issued by 13 states that require workers compensation insurers to pay at least some ...