Latest Contractors Headlines

All the headlines from our Contractors Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Florida Fights Back Against Assignment of Benefits Abuse

Feb 8 2016 // Florida insurers, consumer and insurance advocates, as well as regulators, are hoping 2016 may finally be the year that legislators address the misuse of assignment of benefits (AOB) for water loss claims that they say has...

Contractors Get Prison Time for 2013 Philadelphia Thrift Store Collapse

Jan 12 2016 // As he drank coffee at his job site in the mornings, demolition subcontractor Sean Benschop often talked with Borbor Davis, who worked at the adjacent Salvation Army in downtown Philadelphia.The men, both immigrants, asked...

New Look in Franchise Liability

Jan 11 2016 // Businesses known for their uniforms are worried about lawyers in business suits in the wake of a change in the nation’s labor laws affecting their liability for employment practices.The change could unravel the...

National Insurance Crime Bureau Warns of Post-Disaster Scams in Texas

Jan 7 2016 // The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) announced it is working with law enforcement agencies, the Texas Department of Insurance and insurance companies to warn Texas storm victims about post-disaster rebuilding...

Builders & Tradesmen’s Insurance Again to Offer Free Fraud Protection in CA

Jan 6 2016 // Rocklin, CA, January 6, 2016- Builders & Tradesmen’s Insurance Services, Inc. (BTIS) will be offering Fraud Protection at no extra charge to all California-based contractors that purchase their Victory...

Uber Winning Support for Classifying Drivers as Contractors

Dec 21 2015 // State legislators in Ohio and Florida are moving ahead with regulations governing Uber and other ride services that would designate all drivers as independent contractors, bolstering a critical but much-disputed aspect of...

Oregon High Court Says Cab Company Workers Aren’t Independent Contractors

Dec 14 2015 // The Oregon Supreme Court ruled last week that a Portland taxicab company must pay unemployment insurance taxes for certain drivers because they were improperly classified as independent contractors.The case comes amid...

Uber Winning Support in States for Classifying Drivers as Contractors

Dec 11 2015 // State legislators in Ohio and Florida are moving ahead with regulations governing Uber and other ride services that would designate all drivers as independent contractors, bolstering a critical but much-disputed aspect of...

Warming to Alternative Classifications for Gig Economy Workers

Dec 10 2015 // Judges and juries around the country are being asked to decide whether Uber and Lyft drivers and other participants in the “gig economy” are really independent contractors or just employees in disguise. But...

San Antonio Framing Contractor Cited After Worker Falls to Death

Dec 9 2015 // Federal safety officials have cited a San Antonio-based framing contractor after a worker fell 35 feet to his death at a work site in Kyle, Texas.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Longhorn Contractors...

Insurance Lies Clients Believe – And Pass on to Others

Dec 7 2015 // Myths, legends and lies are hard to dispel and correct, especially when doing so appears to financially harm the teller or believer. If the myth is true, the client (the teller/believer) does not need to purchase the...

Ex-Contractor Wins $20M in Bribery Suit against Louisiana DOTD

Dec 7 2015 // A former contractor has won a $20 million suit he filed against the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) over a 2007 incident he says cost him his business because he refused to pay a bribe to a...

Why Wage and Hour Claims Keep Rising

Dec 2 2015 // This was another historic year for federal wage and hour lawsuits.Using data obtained from the Federal Judicial Center, law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP reported that 8,781 cases were filed in 2015 under the Fair Labor Standards...

PartnerOne Launches Contractors Pollution & Professional Product

Dec 1 2015 // PartnerOne Environmental is working in partnership with Berkley Environmental, a Division of Berkley Specialty Underwriting Managers, to offer PartnerOne Contractors Pollution & Professional. This product is a combined...

Wisconsin Contractor Cited 4 Times in 3 Years for Safety Violations

Nov 30 2015 // For the fourth time in three years, a Bloomer, Wis., roofing contractor was found ignoring workplace safety laws, federal and state safety officials say.The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said...

4 Common Business Issues When Evaluating Wrap-Up Programs

Nov 16 2015 // As the cost of commercial, public entity and residential construction continues to increase, owners and developers are seeking inventive ways to reduce insurance costs while maintaining effective coverages for the parties...

The Rebound Continues as Contractors & Builders Expect to Grow Again in 2016

Nov 16 2015 // Builders and contractors can expect another year of steady growth in 2016 and so can the insurance specialists that serve this rebounding market.The construction industry across the board is seeing strong growth, says...

Kentucky Court: Mine-Safety Laws Don’t Apply to Subcontractors

Nov 12 2015 // Kentucky’s mine-safety laws and regulations didn’t apply to a subcontract worker who died while installing a massive garage door on a building at a mine site in Muhlenberg County, the state’s Supreme...

Fatal Dallas Construction Site Fall Leads to $400K Fine for Contractors

Nov 11 2015 // A fall from a third-story balcony in Dallas killed 44-year-old Jorge Carrion Torres as he worked on the exterior of an apartment complex on May 14, 2015. As a result the federal Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health...

Georgia Roofing Contractor Accused of Insurance Fraud

Nov 10 2015 // A Macon, Ga.-based roofing contractor was arrested for insurance fraud and damage to property, according to Georgia Insurance Commissioner Ralph Hudgens.Law enforcement officers from Hudgens’ Fraud Division and the...