A Brazilian federal judge ruled that miners Vale and BHP and their joint venture Samarco must pay 47.6 billion reais ($9.67 billion) in damages for a 2015 tailings dam burst, according to a legal decision on Thursday seen by Reuters. …

For the second time in three months, Houston plaintiffs’ attorney Eric B. Dick has been ordered to reimburse an insurer more than $100,000 for filing a “frivolous, groundless” lawsuit made “solely for the purpose of harassment.” Galveston County District Court …

The National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) said President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Donnell plans to retire in February 2025 after about 10 years with the organization. “It’s been such a privilege to lead this organization and this amazing …

XPT Specialty Names Binding and Brokerage Team XPT Specialty, headquartered in New York, N.Y., hired a production and underwriting team to serve Middle Atlantic and Northeast clients. The wholesale broker’s new team is led by Gregg Guerreiro, executive vice president …

GSK, Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies are urging a judge in Delaware this week to find that evidence plaintiffs’ lawyers want to use in about 72,000 lawsuits claiming that the discontinued heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer is not supported by …

Manmade warming has increased the prevalence and severity of concurrent drought and heat events, also termed hot droughts, across Western North America in the 20th-21st century, a new report shows. The authors of the report developed the Western North American …

Google on Wednesday reached a settlement in a patent infringement lawsuit over chips that power the company’s artificial-intelligence technology, according to a filing in Massachusetts federal court. The settlement comes the same day that closing arguments were scheduled to begin …

Los Angeles County agreed to pay $5 million to the founder and CEO of a software company who was briefly accused of stealing data on county poll workers in a case he said was pushed by conspiracy theorists. The Board …

Glenn Pomeroy, former CEO of the California Earthquake Authority (CEA), joined GeoVera as executive vice president of marketing and regulatory affairs effective February 1. GeoVera is headquartered in Fairfield, Calif. Pomeroy has over 30 years of industry experience, including eight …

Greater New York Mutual Insurance Co. signed a lease at the Empire State Building. GNY Mutual, which currently has offices on Madison Avenue, agreed to a 17-year deal for a full floor at the famous New York tower, with 52,116 …

Texas Mutual saw nearly 6% more severe injuries reported in 2023 compared to the previous year, according to an incident trends report released by the insurer. The construction industry reported the most serious incidents by industry in Texas in 2023. …

The United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month upheld a 2022 decision against Church Mutual Insurance Co. in favor of Sugartown United Pentecostal Church in Dry Creek, Louisiana, which sits about 50 miles northeast of Lake Charles. …

Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt announced that she will be serving on three committees for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) in 2024. Committee assignments were made at the NAIC’s winter meeting in January. Schmidt was assigned to the …

Walmart will pay $60,000 and provide other relief to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced. The EEOC charged in its suit that Walmart refused to promote an employee …

This edition of International People Moves details appointments at the re/insurance group Aventum, the broker Aon, and insurer Chubb. A summary of these new hires follows here. Aventum Promotes Eldridge to MD Aventum, the London-based re/insurance group that operates across …

A driver may file a “John Doe” civil action against an unknown driver, even without first obtaining an statement from a third-party witness. But an affidavit must be produced promptly upon request, the South Carolina Supreme Court decided Wednesday. The …

Amazon has pulled the plug on its UK home insurance venture – a comparison website – after launching in October 2022. “Over the last year, we have been evaluating various businesses and programs, and as a part of that we’ve …

Reinsurers’ underwriting margins are expected to peak in 2024 on the significant price rises and tighter terms and conditions achieved during 2023 and in the January 2024 renewals, which will likely lead to softer market conditions in 2025, according to …

Ford Motor said Wednesday it was recalling 2.24 million older Explorer sport utility vehicles worldwide because trim retention clips may not be properly engaged. The recall includes 1.89 million SUVs in the United States and covers 2011 through 2019 model …

Connecticut-based Webster Bank has completed the acquisition of Ametros Financial Corp., a firm that administers medical claims settlements. Ametros provides post-settlement medical administration for those receiving funds from workers’ compensation and liability settlements though a technology platform, CareGuard. CareGuard provides …