Latest Legislation Headlines

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

Former MMA Attorney Suspended; Texas Judge Approves Temporary Restraining Order Against Law Firm

Jan 3 2024 // A former attorney for McClenny Moseley & Associates, who was accused of dishonesty while participating in his law firm’s filing of hundreds of hurricane-damage lawsuits, agreed last month to a nine-month...

Judge Blocks Alabama Cannabis Licenses Amid Dispute Over Selection Process

Jan 3 2024 // MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A judge temporarily blocked Alabama from issuing licenses to medical marijuana dispensaries amid an ongoing legal battle over how the state selected the winning companies.Montgomery Circuit...

‘Smash-and-Grab’ Robberies Fuel New Laws, but Critics Question the Need

Jan 2 2024 // Even before Virginia lawmakers passed a tough new law against organized retail crime earlier this year, Bradley Haywood, a public defender in Arlington, Virginia, challenged the rationale. The idea that retailers in the...

Tokyo Court Rules Only Fukushima Operator Must Pay Compensation, Cuts Damages

Dec 28 2023 // A Tokyo court has ruled that only the operator of the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant had to pay damages to dozens of evacuees, relieving the government of responsibility. Plaintiffs criticized the ruling as...

Twitter Violated Contract by Failing to Pay Millions in Bonuses, Judge Rules

Dec 28 2023 // Twitter violated contracts by failing to pay millions of dollars in bonuses that the social media company, now called X Corp, had promised its employees, a federal judge ruled on Friday.Mark Schobinger, who was...

French Climate Damage Measures Came Late but Were Sufficient, Court Rules

Dec 27 2023 // France’s moves to limit climate damage came late but were sufficient, a French court ruled on Friday, in a blow to attempts by environmental campaigners to impose a 1.1 billion euro ($1.21 billion) penalty on the...

Litigation Abuse, Regulation, Hard Market Among Insurance Trades’ Priorities for 2024

Dec 27 2023 // Insurance trade organizations are always working for the industry so Insurance Journal asked them: What are the top priorities and/or challenges heading into 2024?Here are the responses we received: In the coming year, the...

Illinois Appeals Court Rules Exclusion Bars BIPA Claims

Dec 20 2023 // An Illinois appellate court decided Tuesday that a general liability insurance policy sold to a Waukegan packaging company clearly excluded coverage for violations of the state Biometric Information Privacy Act, saying a...

Lawsuits Claiming Tylenol Causes Autism Lack Scientific Support, Judge Finds

Dec 20 2023 // A judge has barred expert witnesses from testifying that Johnson & Johnson spin-off Kenvue’s painkiller Tylenol can cause autism if mothers take it during pregnancy, finding that they failed to support their...

Florida Court Rulings, Legislation Could Impact Insurers’ Claims Practices

Dec 19 2023 // Recent Florida legislation that has limited plaintiffs’ attorney fees and has raised the bar for bringing bad-faith claims against insurers appears to have already had an impact on the level of claims litigation in...

Florida Judge Slams Universal for ‘Stonewalling,’ Demands Answers From Company

Dec 19 2023 // Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Co. officials are discounting the significance of recent Florida judges’ rulings that have slammed the company for violating court orders, have forced Universal to default...

Judge Blocks Chubb Exit From New York Diocese’s Thousands of Child Sex Abuse Suits

Dec 19 2023 // A New York judge has ruled that the “plain language” of Chubb Insurance policies dictates that the insurer must cover the Archdiocese of New York parishes and schools as they contend with thousands of sex abuse...

Lawmakers Urge Expanded Safety and Mental Health Programs for Commercial Fishermen

Dec 14 2023 // A federal program that protects the health and wellbeing of commercial fishermen should be expanded to include substance use disorder and worker fatigue, a group of lawmakers from New England and Alaska said.The lawmakers...

Amazon Asks Judge to Dismiss FTC Lawsuit, Says No Consumer Harm Shown

Dec 11 2023 // Amazon.com asked a federal court on Friday to dismiss a U.S. government antitrust lawsuit which accuses the company of using illegal strategies to boost profits at its online retail empire, including an algorithm that...

With Differing Court Rulings on Pre-Suit Notice of Intent, Florida Insurers Left Guessing

Dec 11 2023 // On October 27, 2023, Florida’s 5th District Court of Appeal ruled that a personal injury protection pre-suit demand letter needs to include only a billing ledger and does not need to state the exact amount that the...

Boy Scout Abuse Claims Fund Shouldn’t Pay $21M in Lawyers’ Fees, Judge Says

Dec 8 2023 // The judge presiding over the Boys Scouts of America’s bankruptcy has rejected a $21 million fee request from attorneys hired by law firms representing survivors of child sexual abuse.A group of personal injury firms...

Judge Gives Early Nod to GEICO’s $5M Settlement in Georgia Class Action

Dec 8 2023 // GEICO Indemnity Co. has agreed and a federal court in Georgia has given approval to a preliminary settlement of $5.1 million in a class-action lawsuit in which plaintiffs said the insurer had shorted them on ad valorem...

Regulatory Battles In Personal Lines Ahead; Allstate May Drop Customers

Dec 8 2023 // Analysts from Standard & Poor’s predicted this week that while personal auto results are starting to stabilize, the continued push for rate in 2024 will set the stage for more faceoffs between regulators and...

EPA Finalizes Regulation Requiring Oil and Gas Operators in Texas to Reduce Methane Emissions

Dec 5 2023 // The Environmental Protection Agency on Saturday finalized a long-anticipated climate regulation that will require oil and gas operators to dramatically reduce how much methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is escaping from...

New Hampshire Roofing Contractor Lied to Beat OSHA Penalties, Judge Says

Dec 5 2023 // A New Hampshire contractor has been accused of lying and being evasive in an attempt to avoid responsibility for safety hazards for roofers at his worksite.A federal administrative law judge has determined that Barry...