After the Big Dig-out, it’s time for the Big Payout. Or will it be the Big Denial? New England’s epic winter is on pace to produce a corresponding number of claims as thousands of homeowners seek to repair damage. Successive … Source: Claims Journal

More than seven months before an explosion and fire leveled three apartment buildings in Manhattan’s East Village, utility workers discovered that the gas line to a restaurant in one of them had been illegally tapped, creating a hazardous situation, according … Source: Claims Journal

Oklahoma officials are expanding the number of counties that are included in earthquake “areas of interest,” and asking nearly 100 companies to prove their oil and gas wastewater disposal wells are not too deep. The Tulsa World reports that the … Source: Claims Journal

U.S. Sens. Mark Kirk and Dick Durbin of Illinois are renewing their call for an update of the methods the government uses to determine disaster assistance. The Republican and the Democrat introduced Thursday what they call the Fairness in Federal … Source: Claims Journal

Deutsche Lufthansa AG may face unlimited liability for payments to families of victims of the Germanwings jet crashed by its suicidal co-pilot, according to lawyers. “The liability for the victims would be uncapped,” said George Leloudas, a lecturer at Swansea … Source: Claims Journal

North Carolina’s workplace safety agency said Tuesday that it may be months before it finishes an investigation into why a scaffold with several men on it broke free from the facade of a high-rise construction project and killed three workers. … Source: Claims Journal

Commercial drone operators will have an easier time using and testing their devices in the U.S. after the Federal Aviation Administration said it has loosened some requirements for obtaining government permission to fly. The FAA has awarded 48 waivers for … Source: Claims Journal

Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration plans to ask for federal disaster assistance for the record-setting snowstorms that wreaked havoc on Massachusetts and piled up about $400 million in snow removal costs. An administration official tells The Associated Press the governor will … Source: Claims Journal

Ride-sharing company Uber said it has formed response teams to address safety issues across the world, amid increasing concerns about the security of its passengers and drivers. The company, whose mobile app lets users hail taxis, has been dogged by … Source: Claims Journal

Judging by the number of tickets each year, jaywalking as an infraction draws scant attention from police in New Jersey. The Asbury Park Press reports that in 2010, there were 557 jaywalking tickets issued in the state of New Jersey, … Source: Claims Journal