Quote of the day
"The uncertainty of too much litigation means jobs will go elsewhere. Why invest in someplace where you don't know if you will be sued for something capricious and arbitrary?"
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, about his administration's economic development strategy, which included tort reform and arresting workers' comp rates
A.M. Best Upgrades Majestic’s Financial Strength Rating
A.M. Best Co. upgrades the financial strength rating of Majestic Insurance Company to A- (Excellent) from B++ (Very Good), removes the ratings from under review and assigns an issuer credit rating of “a-“. Workers’ Comp Executive
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Kentucky Insurance Market ‘Extremely Competitive’
In Kentucky, commercial insurance rates are declining despite increases in workers’ compensation rates. By David Goetz, Louisville Courier-Journal
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West Virginia’s Sole Comp Insurer Looks to Consolidate
BrickStreet Mutual Insurance Co., West Virginia’s private workers’ compensation insurer that took over the state system last January, wants to consolidate its offices for the sake of efficiency, according to president and chief executive officer Greg Burton. By George Hohmann, Charleston Daily Mail
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Manchin Uses Comp Reform as Bait to International Business
Touting reform of the state’s workers’ compensation, West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin and other officials meet with Japanese auto industry representatives in order to promote the state’s manufacturing climate. By Paul Darst, State Journal (Charleston, W.V.)
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Workers’ Comp Bill to Top Delaware’s Legislative Agenda
Delaware must make it more cost-effective for plants like DaimlerChrysler AG to stay in the state, according to the Delaware Lt. Gov. John C. Carney Jr. Many believe a workers’ compensation reform bill, which is expected to be the first bill legislators consider when the new session kicks off, is key. By Luladey B. Tadesse and Patrick Jackson, News Journal (Wilmington, Del.) [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Hog Plant Workers Walk Out, Allege Abuses
More than 300 mostly-Latino workers walk out of a Smithfield Foods hog slaughtering plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina, protesting a labor screening process and alleged intimidation and abuse by management, including denial of workers’ compensation claims. By AP via WAVY-TV (Portsmouth, Va.)
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Gov. Bush Praises His Economic Plan
Outgoing Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, speaking at the two-day statewide BioFlorida conference, urges new leaders to follow the economic plan his administration set, which included targeting what he contended were the second-highest workers’ compensation costs in the nation. By Marina Blomberg, Gainesville Sun [With Photo] Go to the Full Story…
Court: Wrongful Death Suit Must Be Dismissed
North Dakota’s Supreme Court orders dismissal of a lawsuit against Minot’s Trinity Hospitals, saying the hospital cannot be ordered to pay damages for a cleaning worker’s death after she slipped on a wet floor in a service tunnel. Trinity contended that North Dakota’s workers compensation law barred any payment of damages to Neiss’ estate. By Dale Wetzel, Bismarck Tribune
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Spitzer Optimistic About Workers’ Comp Reform
Offering few details, New York Gov.-elect Eliot Spitzer visits Rochester and pledges that he will seek to jump-start the upstate economy by changing factors that hinder economic growth, including workers’ compensation insurance rates. By Joseph Spector, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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Defense Attorneys Say CFO Wasn’t Only Condo Beneficiary
Attorneys for the two brokers accused of paying a top Ohio Bureau Workers’ Compensation official to steer bureau their way contend that other parties used a Florida Keys condominium that prosecutors say was a bribe. By Joe Milicia, AP via Akron Beacon Journal
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