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Jury Awards $1.85 Million in Lead-Paint Poisoning Case

A Hartford jury has awarded $1.851 million to a painter who suffered severe lead-paint poisoning after working on a house he was told was lead-free. To date, with interest, the award is about $2.2 million. The Nov. 8 jury award in Hartford Superior Court followed a contentious seven-day trial, which included the defendant allegedly giving the middle finger to the plaintiff in court. After deliberating for eight hours, the six-person jury found in favor of 54-year-old Colchester resident Richard Vichas, who, according to his attorney, was emotional on the stand and broke down several times. According to an Oct. 29 amended lawsuit, Vichas...

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Company Owners Consider Limits on Alcohol at Holiday Parties

The alcohol will flow less freely, and sometimes not at all, at some small business parties this holiday season. Owners concerned about sexual misconduct and the safety of staffers and guests are eliminating or limiting the open bar, making their events alcohol-free or switching from a traditional cocktail party to activities including games and contests. Human resources consultants and employment law attorneys say they’re fielding more questions about alcohol and parties than in the past following the string of high-profile sexual misconduct cases that began a year ago. They’re advising their small business clients to impose limits on how much people drink. Ladan Davia...

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Insurers Gain High Marks After Hurricanes Florence, Michael

After the two recent billion-dollar disasters struck the southeast this fall, the nation’s largest property/casualty insurers responded by deploying their CAT response teamsto the affected areas. J.D. Power surveyed consumers affected by the storms to understand which insurance companies were most responsive and how the industry performed overall. “When consumers enter into an agreement with an insurance company they are essentially buying a promise.” says Tom Super, director of the insurance practice at J.D. Power. “When Hurricanes such as Florence and Michael occur, it shines a light on those companies that are able to deliver on that commitment at great scale, and...

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Commercial Insurance Prices in U.S. Increase for First Time in 3 Years

Commercial insurance prices in the U.S. increased modestly in the first quarter of 2018, according to leading global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson’s Commercial Lines Insurance Pricing Survey (CLIPS). The survey compared prices charged on policies written during the first quarter of 2018 with those charged for the same coverage during the equivalent quarter in 2017. Price changes were in excess of 1 percent for the first time in 11 quarters, breaking the moderating trend in price increases observed since 2013. Data for three standard lines — commercial auto, commercial property and excess/umbrella liability — indicated fairly significant...

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Insurers Could Face More Bad Faith Suits if Legislation Passes

Legislation pending in New Jersey could make it easier to file bad faith lawsuits against insurers. The New Jersey Insurance Fair Conduct Act is currently under consideration by the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee after having been passed by the Senate. If approved, SB 2144 would take effect immediately. Jack Vales, a partner in the Short Hills, N.J. office of Dentons US, and colleague, Erika Lopes-McLeman, a senior managing associate in the same office, issued a bulletin on the legislation recently. Under current law, if an insurer can show a debatable reason for a coverage decision, that will defeat any type of bad faith...

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