COVID-19 pandemic News

Viewpoint: California COVID-19 Presumptions Set to Expire

California’s COVID-19 presumptions will expire on Jan. 1, 2024, which means employer-related outbreak reporting and shortened-decision timeframes are going the way of the dinosaur. The last sentence of Labor Code sections 3212.86, 3212.87, and 3212.88 says that they expire on …

War, Inflation, Polarization Driving Global Increase in Political Risk

Inflation, social inequality, environmental concerns, political polarization and the Russia-Ukraine war are among factors that are leading to an increase risk of civil unrest around the world, according to two reports released by industry analysts in the past month. A …

Judge Approves $85M Settlement in ‘Zoombombing’ Case

A federal judge in California approved an $85 million settlement between Zoom Video Communications and millions of users who said the teleconference meeting application violated their privacy rights by sharing personal data to companies such as Facebook and Google, and …

Brooks Brothers’ Billionaire Former Owners are Sued Over Its Bankruptcy

NEW YORK — The billionaire Italian family that until recently owned Brooks Brothers has been accused in a lawsuit of driving the iconic apparel retailer into bankruptcy instead of selling it, to avoid paying millions of dollars to an investor. …

Fitch Says Sharp Drop in Claims Frequency Helped Commercial Auto Break Even, Almost

A sharp decline in claim frequency helped the commercial auto line achieve its best underwriting performance in a decade last year, but rising claim severity threatens to erode profits as traffic returns to US roadways, according to a report released …

Company Offering Pandemic Stock Tips Accused of $137M Fraud

OLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) –The founders of a company called Raging Bull tout themselves as expert stock traders who teach customers how they, too, can become millionaires. Marketing emails said they found a “hidden bull market” in the COVID-19 pandemic. …

Friss: Fraud Investigations Rising Even as Claims Volumes Drop

Fraud inevitably rises after natural disasters and during economic downturns. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought both conditions to the entire globe at once. Fraud-prevention advocates have long been warning about the coming increase in fraudulent claims. Data from Friss, a …