California May Punish Oil Companies for High Gas Prices
A first-in-the-nation bill to punish oil companies for profiting from price spikes at the pump breezed through the California Senate on Thursday at the urging of Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, the first major vote in an effort to pass the …

Environmental Groups Say Texas Isn’t Holding Polluters Accountable
More than 21,000 unexpected pollution releases by Texas companies have released over 400,000 tons of air pollution in Texas from 2016 to 2022, and companies in less than 1% of these cases have been forced by the Texas Commission on …

Wisconsin High Court: UI Insurer Can’t Deduct Money That Was Paid but Reimbursed
Wisconsin law allows insurers to deduct from their liability any amounts paid for the same injury by a worker’s compensation carrier, but does that include amounts that are paid and later reimbursed? Secura Supreme Insurance Co. argued that repayment makes …

Corps of Engineers Appeals Ruling on Mississippi River Spillway Openings
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A federal judge’s ruling that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must consult with federal fisheries experts before opening a spillway that protects New Orleans from Mississippi River flooding is being appealed. The Bonnet Carre spillway …

Illinois Supreme Court: Union Workers Can’t Sue Under Biometric Law
Illinois’ top court on Thursday said U.S. labor law bars unionized workers from suing their employers for violations of the state’s biometric privacy law, which can expose companies to massive penalties. The Illinois Supreme Court unanimously held that campus security …

Denmark to Salvage Unidentified Object in Nord Stream Blast Probe
Denmark is salvaging an unidentified object found next to a Russian gas pipeline that was damaged in a blast last September, as investigators continue to seek who was behind the attack. The operation comes two weeks after German authorities said …

Coinbase, SEC on Collision Course for ‘Existential’ Clash Over Crypto Industry
Coinbase debuted on the U.S. stock market on April 14, 2021 – the same day U.S. senators confirmed Gary Gensler to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the country’s top markets regulator. Gensler, who has called the crypto sector …

People Moves: Howden Tiger Names Ruff as Head of Legacy Division in Expanded Role; Markel Taps QBE’s Keens, SCOR’s Wong for Global Downstream Energy Team
This edition of International People Moves details appointments at Howden Tiger and Markel International. A summary of these new hires follows here. Howden Tiger Names Ruff as Head of Legacy Division in Expanded Role Howden Tiger, the reinsurance arm of …

After Nonrenewals, Castle Key Files 53.5% Increase for Remaining Fla. Condo Policies
Two months after Allstate announced that a Florida subsidiary would non-renew 33,000 condominium policies, the company has filed for a 53.5% average rate increase. Castle Key Indemnity Co., which as of year-end 2022 held some 287,000 policies in Florida, making …

China Detains Staff, Raids Office of U.S. Due Diligence Firm Mintz Group
Chinese authorities raided the office of U.S. corporate due diligence firm Mintz Group in Beijing and detained five local staff, the company said, putting foreign companies in China on alert just as the country hosts an international economic forum. News …