A $10.1 billion verdict against Philip Morris USA over misleading consumers about the safety of “light” cigarettes should be overturned, lawyers for the company argued in the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday. The award was first made in 2003 for … The post Tobacco Company Urges Illinois Court to Drop $10B Smokers’ Verdict appeared first…

Water, wind and hail lead the race for main causes of loss to homes in the second quarter of the year according to the Farmers Insurance Seasonal Smarts Digest. April, May and June are months known for their severe weather, … The post Farmers Reports 52% Jump in Q2 Homeowners Claims Due to Spring Storms…

U.S. auto sales may drop about 40 percent in the next 25 years because of shared driverless cars, forcing mass-market producers such as General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. to slash output, a Barclays Plc analyst said. Vehicle ownership … The post Barclay Says Driverless Cars May Cut U.S. Auto Sales by 40% appeared…

Two years ago today, an EF 5 tornado touched down in Moore, Oklahoma, 4.4 miles west of Newcastle. The powerful twister, with wind speeds reaching 210 miles per hour, cleared a path of destruction stretching fourteen miles while on the … The post Moore Marks 2 Years Since Tornado With Stronger Building Codes, More Storm…

Rimkus Consulting Group, a forensic engineering consulting services, announced it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to utilize small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) – commonly referred to as drones – for aerial inspections of structures and facilities … The post Rimkus Receives Approval for Quadcopter Drone Use in Forensic Investigations appeared first…

Human error is estimated to cause more than 90 percent of traffic accidents, a percentage that might be drastically reduced by the implementation of self-driving cars featuring smart systems that control most aspects of driving. Although the potential benefits of … The post Study Examines Whether Virtual Twin Can Increase Trust in Smart Cars appeared…

Among patients with acute radiculopathy (sciatica) due to a herniated lumbar disk, a short course of oral steroids, compared with placebo, resulted in modest improvement in function and no significant improvement in pain, according to a study in the May … The post Study Finds Oral Steroids for Herniated Disk Do Not Improve Pain appeared…

The worn-out workers of Jaya Mayaswori Brick Factory are packing clay and hauling loads with a new sense of purpose – helping to rebuild Nepal after a series of massive earthquakes and aftershocks ravaged the Himalayan nation, leaving hundreds of … The post Brick Business Booms as Nepal Rushes to Rebuild After Quake appeared first…

The federal government has denied Massachusetts’ request to expand disaster aid for a January blizzard, the first of several major storms that pummeled the state this past winter. Gov. Charlie Baker appealed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency last week … The post FEMA Denies Massachusetts’ Bid to Extend Snow Disaster Aid appeared first on…

A deadly Nebraska prison riot may have caused half a million dollars in damage, and is believed to have started when inmates complained about a lack of rehabilitation programs. Lawmakers said Thursday that damage to the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution … The post Insurance to Cover Nebraska Prison Riot Damage Totaling $300,000 to $500,000 appeared…