Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. has agreed to pay $44 million to settle allegations under the False Claims Act that it knowingly issued insurance policies that were ineligible under the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) federal crop insurance program and falsified … Source: Claims Journal

A key Senate policy committee is backing a workers’ compensation reform bill that it says will reduce costs by 7.5 percent without imposing a price-fixing mechanism backed by business groups. “This agreement will bring real savings to New Hampshire businesses, … Source: Claims Journal

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is nominating a former Cigna Corp. executive as Connecticut’s newest insurance commissioner. The Democrat announced Friday that Katharine Wade of Simsbury will replace Thomas Leonardi, who resigned in December to work with a New York investment … Source: Claims Journal

The exclusive remedy provisions in North Carolina’s workers’ compensation law were recently challenged by an injured worker who sought to bring a bad faith claim against the insurer. The worker, Jeff Bowden, was injured while on the job. While his … Source: Claims Journal

A U.S. highway agency’s favorable analysis of Trinity Industries Inc.’s guardrail system was criticized by a nonprofit safety group, which said crash-test data show that motorists remain at risk. The Federal Highway Administration announced March 13 that Trinity’s ET-Plus shock-absorbing … Source: Claims Journal

Putting technology that prevents drunk drivers from starting a vehicle into every car and truck in the U.S. could save 59,000 lives and $343 million over 15 years, according to a University of Michigan study. In addition, researchers concluded the … Source: Claims Journal

The depiction of workers’ compensation fraud in television shows has impacted the public’s perception of the crime, said two experts during a session on the subject at the Combined Claims Conference held recently in Orange County, California. While workers’ comp … Source: Claims Journal

Preliminary results of a catastrophe modelling study presented at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction show little prospect of reducing economic losses from present levels of $240 billion per year. According to Dr. Milan Simic, senior vice … Source: Claims Journal

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health Joseph A. Main told members at the annual convention of the National Stone, Sand and Gravel Association in Baltimore today that mining industry improvements in the past five years have laid … Source: Claims Journal

The Tennessee Supreme Court has announced the creation of a new business court pilot project that aims to make complex commercial litigation more efficient. The new pilot court will be located in Nashville and be overseen by Davidson County Chancellor … Source: Claims Journal