Articles by William Rabb

Alabama High Court Says COVID Liability Immunity Includes Slips and Falls at Hospital

When the COVID-19 virus spread across the country three years ago, dozens of state legislatures approved statutes that granted health care providers immunity from legal actions brought by people who claimed to have been injured by COVID treatments. “Absent wanton, …

NC Appeals Court Says Injured Off-Duty Law Officers are Joint Employees

The question has arisen many times around the country: Is an injured, off-duty law officer, moonlighting on security or traffic control, considered an employee of the law enforcement division or a private company? The North Carolina Court of Appeals answered …

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

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 on lawsuits, have referred a Universal lawyer for disciplinary action, …

Are Billions in Wind Mitigation the Answer for Florida’s Insurance Problems?

While Florida’s property insurance landscape appears to be leveling out, much more funding is needed to fortify homes against hurricane winds and prevent devastating losses for insureds and insurers, a few panelists said at the Florida Chamber’s Insurance Summit last …

A Year After Florida Adjusters Dropped a Bomb, They’ve Heard Little and Now Want Investigators Fired

One year ago, three independent claims adjusters stood before the Florida House Commerce Committee and charged that several insurance companies had frequently and misleadingly altered their damage estimates on wind claims. The chairman of that committee said the men’s allegations …

Fla. State Rep. Introduces Bill to Limit Condo Coverage to Actual Cash Value

A bill introduced by a Democrat and trial attorney would take a step toward something that property insurers have longed for in recent years – actual cash value coverage on roofs, at least condominium roofs. State Rep. Hillary Cassel, D-Dania …

State Supreme Court Upholds Attorney Fees in Tennessee Workers’ Comp Case

In what could be seen as a rare win for the claimants’ bar in Tennessee, the state Supreme Court upheld a $50,500 award of attorney fees, an amount that is almost double the workers’ compensation benefits paid to the injured …

Dash Cameras in Fleet Vehicles Are Key to Avoiding Nuclear Verdicts, Risk Managers Say

ORLANDO, Fla. — Cameras. One showing the driver and another facing forward. Those can be the keys to avoiding nuclear verdicts after auto and truck crashes, especially for companies with fleets of vehicles and relatively inexperienced drivers, two Crum & …

W.Va. High Court Rules Coverage Owed for Illness Claims Years After Policy Expired

Liability insurers that write in West Virginia and beyond received some unsettling and expensive news from the state Supreme Court last week: Without iron-clad policy language barring coverage, long-tail illness claims must be covered and a carrier has a duty …

11th Circuit Asks Fla. Supreme Court if Insurers Can Sue Auto-Glass Shops

The Florida Legislature earlier this year struck a mighty blow for auto insurers in their years-long fight against windshield repair shops, ending assignment-of-benefits and the practice of offering gifts to insureds. Now, the Florida Supreme Court could soon decide another …