Declarations

“While the total cost of the bridge collapse and associated claims will not be clear for some time, it is likely to run into the billions of dollars.”

– Said Matilde Jakobsen, senior director, analytics, AM Best, commenting on the possible impact the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge will have on insurers. The container ship Dali struck the bridge on March 26 after the ship lost power. The ship is owned by Singapore-based Grace Ocean and was chartered by the shipping giant Maersk, according to Bloomberg.

“We have reached an agreement on all key points with all key economic stakeholders.”

– Rite Aid attorney Aparna Yenamandra said at a bankruptcy court hearing in Trenton, New Jersey, after the pharmacy chain Rite Aid reached a settlement with its lenders, the U.S. Department of Justice, and drug supplier McKesson Corp. in its bankruptcy case. Before it filed for bankruptcy, Rite Aid faced over 1,600 lawsuits alleging that it ignored red flags and illegally filled prescriptions for addictive opioid medication.

“Far too often, especially in the emerging gig economy, big and powerful companies like Amazon use the misclassification of employees as independent contractors to deny working people essential workplace rights like minimum wages, overtime pay, and unemployment insurance.”

– Stephanie Bloomingdale, president of the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, commented after the Wisconsin Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that declared some delivery drivers for Amazon were employees as the state argued, not independent contractors as the online retail giant contended.

“If we don’t enact bold change this session, I believe our ongoing insurance crisis will not just stay the same – it will get worse.”

– Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said, urging state lawmakers to modernize Louisiana’s regulatory framework and address legal system abuse — or risk insurers leaving the catastrophe-prone state. Temple, who took over as state insurance commissioner in January, said insurers and reinsurers have repeatedly told him they have three major concerns for doing business in the state: catastrophe exposure, overregulation and a poor legal environment.

“Without any prior notice, FEMA verbally informed Lee County and some of its municipalities … that it was altering discounts on National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) premiums that allow residents to save up to 25%, delivering a blow to the community as it continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Ian.”

– Reads a statement from Lee County, Florida, officials, after FEMA said some property owners in southwest Florida will face 25% higher flood insurance rates because local officials reportedly allowed subpar rebuilding for flood-damaged homes.

“The purpose of this investigation is to make sure that this tragedy never happens again, period.”

– Hawaii Attorney General Anne E. Lopez’s office said in a statement, blaming the delay of the release of a key report into last year’s deadly Maui wildfires on county agencies that forced investigators to issue subpoenas. The Fire Safety Research Institute was selected to provide a scientific analysis of the fire. Its “team encountered unexpected delays when gathering the critical facts for review, which had a direct impact on the rescheduled Phase One report release date,” the AG’s office said.