criminal charges News

Taiwan Golf Ball Maker Fined After Fatal Fire for Storing 30 Times Limit for Hazardous Material

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan authorities fined a golf ball manufacturer 2.4 million New Taiwan dollars ($75,000) on Monday and warned of criminal charges for storing 30 times the legal limit of hazardous material and other violations after a major …

Hertz to Settle Most False-Arrest Claims for $168 Million

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. will spend $168 million to settle hundreds of claims that it falsely reported rental customers to the police for car theft when a vehicle was not returned on time. The company had been fighting to bottle …

Gas Driller Pleads no Contest to Polluting Town’s Water

MONTROSE, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s most active gas driller pleaded no contest Tuesday to criminal charges, capping a landmark environmental case against a company that prosecutors say polluted a rural community’s drinking water 14 years ago and then tried to …

Judge Dismisses Charges for Duck Boat Tragedy

GALENA, Mo. (AP) — A judge on Tuesday dismissed criminal charges against three men prosecuted after a tourist boat sank and killed 17 people during a 2018 Missouri storm. The boat was swamped by waves caused by strong winds shortly …

Sex Abuse Victim Can’t Challenge Ruling that Insurer Had No Duty to Defend

A victim of childhood sexual abuse cannot challenge a trial court’s decision that an insurer had no duty to defend her abuser from a lawsuit, a panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. The appellate panel on Tuesday …

Russian Agents Charged With Targeting US Nuclear Plant, Saudi Oil Refinery

WASHINGTON —U.S. and British officials on Thursday accused the Russian government of running a years-long campaign to hack into critical infrastructure, including an American nuclear plant and a Saudi oil refinery. The announcement was paired with the unsealing of criminal …

Insurers Applaud Charges Against Fla. Contractors in ‘Free Roof’ Scheme

The recent arrest of two men associated with a large Florida roofing company, on charges of offering “free roofs” and rebates to cover homeowners’ insurance deductibles, has met with strong reactions around the state. The insurance industry has complained loudly …

‘No Contest’ Plea Doesn’t Trigger Criminal Exclusion in Home Policy: Connecticut Court

An insured’s plea of nolo contendere to criminal charges does not trigger a criminal acts exclusion in a homeowners insurance policy governed by state law, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled. A federal court asked the state’s high court to answer …

Purdue Pharma, US States Agree to New Opioid Settlement

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma reached a settlement Thursday over its role in the nation’s deadly opioid crisis that includes virtually all U.S. states and thousands of local governments, with the Sackler family members who own the company boosting their cash …

PG&E’s Criminal Probation to End Amid Ongoing Safety Worries

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)–Pacific Gas & Electric is poised to emerge from five years of criminal probation, despite worries that nation’s largest utility remains too dangerous to trust after years of devastation from wildfires ignited by its outdated equipment and neglectful …