NSO Group to Pay Nearly $168M to Meta’s WhatsApp for 2019 Hacking
A federal jury in California has ordered Israeli firm NSO Group to pay more than $167 million in punitive damages to Meta Platforms for installing malware on its WhatsApp messaging app six years ago. Spyware vendor NSO Group must pay …
Court Approves $750 Million Settlement for Survivors of Abuse by NY Gynecologist
Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian hospitals will pay $750 million to patients who sued over being sexually abused by a former gynecologist who was convicted of sex crimes in 2023. The settlement was achieved on behalf of 576 former patients …
Rite Aid Returns to Bankruptcy Protection, Seeks to Sell Most Assets
Rite Aid is again seeking bankruptcy protection as the struggling drugstore chain says it will try to sell substantially all of its assets. The company said Monday that its stores will remain open as it returns to Chapter 11 bankruptcy …
Update: Airlines Re-Route, Cancel Flights Due to India-Pakistan Fighting
Airlines including United Airlines and Korean Air re-routed or canceled flights and about a dozen Indian airports were shut on Wednesday after India staged a reprisal attack on Pakistan that raised fears of an escalation. India attacked Pakistani Kashmir and …
Authorities Are Cleaning Up an Oil Spill in Southeast Louisiana
Federal authorities are seeking to contain and clean up the damage from a decades-old oil well in southeast Louisiana that spewed crude and natural gas for more than a week. Upwards of 79,000 gallons (299,047 liters) of “oily water mixture” …
Markets/Coverages: Chaucer Launches Standalone TPL Cover for AI Underperformance
Chaucer Group, the specialty re/insurer, announced the launch of a standalone third-party liability (TPL) insurance product in collaboration with Armilla AI, the Toronto-based managing general agent that provides specialized insurance and risk management solutions for artificial intelligence. The TPL product …
US Seeks Forced Sale of Google Ad Technology Products
Alphabet Inc.’s Google should be forced to sell off two of its businesses that help websites buy, sell and serve online advertising after a judge found the company illegally monopolized those markets, the Justice Department said. The company should be …
Delta Must Face Passenger Lawsuit Over Massive CrowdStrike Computer Outage
Delta Air Lines must face a proposed class action by passengers who said it refused to offer full refunds after delaying or canceling their flights following a massive computer outage last July, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday. U.S. District …
Berkshire Shareholders Reject Diversity, AI Proposals
Berkshire Hathaway shareholders on May 3 rejected a resolution requiring the company to report on risks from its subsidiaries’ race-based initiatives, one of seven proposals tied to diversity, artificial intelligence and other issues that were voted down. Shareholders also voted …
Business Moves: Gallagher Acquires Turkish Re/Insurance Broker Aspera
Gallagher announced it has acquired Turkey-based Aspera Sigorta ve Reasürans Brokerliği A.Ş. (Aspera). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Established in 2022, Aspera is a boutique insurance and reinsurance broker specializing in industrial property, power & energy, plus construction. …
Copper Cable Theft in Spain Delays Thousands of High-Speed Rail Passengers
Thousands of rail passengers in Spain were hit with delays after copper cables used in the signaling system of a high-speed line traveling south from Madrid to Seville were stolen at five locations, authorities said Monday. The theft, which happened …
Florida Condo Bill Gives Owners Some Slack But Brings New Insurance Concerns
Florida lawmakers late last week gave final approval to a long-debated condominium bill, one designed to give condo owners a little relief on the high cost of bringing structures up to code. But the final version of the bill seems …
Army Pausing Helicopter Flights Near DC Airport After Close Calls
The Army is pausing helicopter flights near a Washington airport after two commercial planes had to abort landings last week because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter that was flying to the Pentagon. The commander of the 12th Aviation Battalion …
California Electrical Firm Pays $1.4M for Fair Labor Violations
A San Jose, California-based electrical engineering and construction company paid $1.4 million for violating the Fair Labor Standards Act. The U.S. Department of Labor found Cupertino Electric Inc. failed to pay proper overtime rates, fining and fined the company for …
California Labor Commissioner Cites University and Contractors
The California Labor Commissioner’s Office cited Pepperdine University and four janitorial contractors after an investigation reportedly found violations of state janitorial registration laws. The labor commissioner says Pepperdine University, located in Los Angeles County, hired janitorial companies that were not …
World Insurance Acquires Upstate New York Agencies
Insurance broker World Insurance Associates LLC has acquired the business of Christopher Williams Agency and Barrett Millard LLC of Pittsford, New York. The Christopher Williams Agency began in 1961, and it purchased Barrett Millard in 2023. The agencies sell personal …
New Louisiana Law Mandates Discount Disclosures for Insurance Companies
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple sent out an announcement this week to all property and casualty insurance companies notifying of a statue that requires insurers to disclose all available discounts that could lead to reduced premiums for current or prospective …
Benefit Advisors Network Adds Texas’ Carroll Insurance as New Member
Benefit Advisors Network (BAN), an international network of progressive and visionary employee benefit brokers and consulting firms from across the United States and Canada, announced Houston, Texas-based Carroll Insurance has been accepted for membership into the organization. Serving a diverse …
Rivian Deepens Illinois Ties With $120 Million EV Supplier Park
Rivian Automotive Inc. is investing $120 million in a new supplier park in Illinois, another win for Governor JB Pritzker after the company announced a $1.5 billion plan to expand its plant in the state. The 1.2 million-square-foot park in …
People Moves: Encova Insurance Names Lingala EVP and CIO
Encova Insurance, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, hired Ramu Lingala as the successor to Tony Laska, executive vice president and chief information officer. Laska announced his plans for retirement at the end of 2025 last year. Lingala joined Encova in February. …