“If you tell people that this is a woman with a chronic medical condition who smells some perfume and gets sick, should people have to pay for that? But I guess the appellate division says they should.”Sexton was 64 years old at the time of the incident. Since then, DiMuzio Sorochen said her client has been largely dependent on an oxygen tank to breathe and unable to work.
The commercial insurance market cycle is close to its bottom and general commercial insurance prices will begin increasing by the fourth quarter of 2009 or the first quarter of 2010, according to a consultant to the global commercial insurance industry.
Source: http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2008/12/31/96658.htm
A.M. Best Co. has removed from under review with negative implications and affirmed the financial strength ratings of ‘A+’ (Superior) and issuer credit ratings (ICR) of “aa-” of the key life/health (Hartford Life) and property/casualty (Hartford Insurance Pool) insurance subsidiaries of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.
Jury Verdict Research has just released its Jury Awards and Statistics. It’s not a pretty picture. The median award in 2007 came to $250,000, up from $192,000 in 2006, representing an all-time high. Nearly one in five verdicts (18%) came in between $100,000 and $250,000, 14% averaged between $250,000 and $500,000, while 22% came in at more than $1,000,000, the highest percentage ever! Discrimination awards (based on race, sex, and disability) jumped from a low in 2006 of $247,500 to $252,000 in 2007.
The probability of a plaintiff’s winning a verdict in 2007 came to 71%, up from 56% in 2006. The probability of a plaintiff verdict was even higher in state cases at 66%, up from 55%. One bright lining: the median settlement for 2007 was $77,875, a reduction from $85,000 in 2006. The report contains many more statistics, as well as noteworthy employment practices awards.
Now is the time for employers to take action to protect themselves with EPLI insurance.
Mark Kinsey, Package Insurance Associates, Inc.
Why does the AIG bailout continue to grow? Why was the original bailout of $85 Billion not enough?
“The Minnesota Department Of Commerce has taken action against a Duluth insurance agent and agency for publishing a newspaper advertisement that solicited business from current policyholders of American International Group (AIG) insurers by questioning the financial health of the AIG parent company. The department has repeatedly affirmed the financial solvency of AIG’s insurance companies, despite the troubles associated with the parent company.”
Company-sponsored functions involve risks, and serving alcohol compounds the problems. One study says that 36% of employers reported behavioral problems at their most recent company party. These problems involved everything from excessive drinking, off-color jokes all the way to unwelcome sexual advances and fist fights.
Excellent article by labor attorney Hagood Tighe provides 10 tips on how to reduce the chances of an incident. Here are three little knows suggestions:
1. Require your managers to be “on duty” at the party.
2. Invite spouses and significant others to help act as a deterrant to employee bad behavior.
3. Don’t hang mistletoe as it can lead to inappropriate sexual advances.