Justices of the Indiana Supreme Court decided in a 3-2 vote last week to let stand a ruling that an insurance company owes no duty to victims of a truck crash in which the driver knowingly operated the vehicle with faulty brakes. Justices Steven David and Christopher Goff were in the minority of justices who would have granted transfer and…
A couple is seeking damages from a ride-hailing company and the city of Chicago over a collision earlier this month. Jaclyn McKee and James Sakhleh filed a complaint on Dec. 14 in Cook County Circuit Court against Lyft Inc. and the city of Chicago alleging negligence and other counts. According to the complaint, on Dec. 13, McKee was a passenger…
The Chicago City Council voted Wednesday to give up control of the city's troubled, $100 million-a-year workers' compensation program. The Council's Finance Committee, which for years had controlled the compensation program under the watch of Chairman Ed Burke, voted Tuesday to restructure the program under the Finance Department in the executive branch, and bring more accountability and transparency to it. On…
A Crawfordsville hardware store that rented an aerial lift to a man who ultimately used it too close to some power lines did not have any duty to provide additional warnings, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled. Rogelio Barcelata, Odilon Elias Cordova and Rutelio Gonzales were working together to paint the rear exterior wall of a restaurant in Crawfordsville….
Value-based care, political party changes in several states, and a more holistic view of patient injuries will impact the workers’ compensation industry this year, according to two experts hosting a workers’ compensation webinar series, Out Front Ideas. Mark Walls, vice president for communications and strategic analysis with Safety National, and Kimberly George, chief healthcare officer for Sedgwick, kicked off the…
A Chicago federal appeals court has overridden a downstate federal judge, who sent an ex-Boeing worker’s asbestos suit against the company back to state court, saying the case belongs under federal jurisdiction because Boeing claims the federal government was in control of its bomber production and knew the danger of asbestos was involved. The Dec. 14 ruling was authored by…
A Lake County sports bar lost its appeal against a patron suing for personal injury when the Indiana Court of Appeals found it was foreseeable to the bar that one of its drunk patron’s was looking for a fight. After being thrown out the back door of Buddy & Pals sports bar for fighting inside, a drunken William Bailey rounded…
Value-based care, party changes in several states, as well as a holistic view when it comes to patient injuries will have a significant impact on the workers’ compensation industry this year, according to hosts of the Out Front Ideas webinar series, Mark Walls and Kimberly George. The two workers’ comp industry experts continue their monthly webinar series, kicking off the…
A Republican Indiana state representative has introduced a bill that would increase maximum fines for a workplace safety violation that results in death, to $100,000 from $7,000. Rep. Martin Carbaugh, R-Fort Wayne, introduced House Bill 1341 on the anniversary of the death of Shacarra Hogue, a 23-year-old factory worker who died after she was crushed by a press that the…
With some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws — much maligned by the insurance industry and business interests — are sure to be a target for legislative reforms. Insurance trade associations, including the Property Casualty Insurance Association of America (PCI), along with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and other business groups, have said…
