property damage News

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Dispute Over 2007 California Wildfire Payouts

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a bid by Sempra Energy’s San Diego Gas & Electric Co to recover $379 million from customers related to damages it was forced to pay out in litigation after the deadly …

Trespassing ATV Riders Irk, but Few Legal Places to Hide

MOOSIC, Pa. — The fence lining Jane Sterling’s property at the former Rocky Glen Park doesn’t prevent all-terrain vehicles ripping past her yard. It’s not uncommon for her to see as many as 60 ATVs a day riding near her …

‘Hail Protector’ Inventor Looks for Buy-in from Insurers

Mark Twain purportedly said, “Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” An electronics engineer who moved to the Dallas area from Chicago decided that he had to do something about Texas’ stormy weather after both his …

Roof Torn off Cape Cod Hotel, as High Winds, Tornado Strike

YARMOUTH, Mass. — High winds and one radar-confirmed tornado ripped off a hotel roof, downed trees that blocked roads, and knocked out power to thousands on Cape Cod on Tuesday during the peak of tourist season. A tornado struck Yarmouth …

Federal Judge Issues Rare Summary Judgment Finding Insurer Acted in Bad Faith

A federal judge in Pennsylvania decided to skip the jury and ruled based on the facts presented in briefings that GuideOne Insurance acted in bad faith by sitting on a church’s property damage claim for six months. U.S. District Judge …

Massachusetts Utility Will Fund Repairs to Couple’s Water-Damaged Home

In more than 50 years, Edward and Eleanor Rogaishio say they never saw a drop of water seep into the basement of their Massachusetts home on Harrison Place. The property, which dates to about 1888, features a finished living space …

Copper Thieves Strike America’s Roadways

Just after midnight in September, a pickup truck struck and killed a 55-year-old woman crossing an intersection in a motorized wheelchair on a dark stretch of Kansas City, Missouri, highway. The streetlights had gone out there — after thieves stole …

Study Examines Minnesota Landslides

A study has determined that nearly 500 landslides have happened in the Mankato, Minnesota, area in recent years. Minnesota State University Earth Science Programs Director Phillip Larson with the help of students mapped out the area’s ravines, bluffs, nooks and …

Off-Site Backups, Planning Aid in Fire Recovery

It was early afternoon, the day after Thanksgiving in 2006, when Mark Nale walked into his den and saw the flames that – despite the family’s frantic efforts to put out – would destroy their Port Matilda, Pa., home. “It’s …

Wisconsin Bowling Industry Impacted by Floods, Closures

Bowling pins topple, teeter, spin and fly. But this summer they’ve also been charred by flames and soaked with floodwater, while others are headed into retirement. In July, fire destroyed the Friendship Bar & Bowl in Adams County. Meanwhile, in …