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| Car Wrecks CLE Seminar in Houston, March 2, 2017 | TTLA's Car Wrecks Seminar is the must-attend program for practitioners of all experience levels. Come away with the tools you need to compete in the courtroom! Click on the headline to learn more and register.
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Texas Tribune Daily Brief
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| Philadelphia's Longest Civil Trial Ends in $227M Settlement to Building Collapse Victims |  | A $227 million settlement has been reached in a deadly building collapse in Philadelphia after a 17-week civil trial of lawsuits. Following the longest civil trial in Philadelphia court history, the lawsuits filed against the Salvation Army and New York real estate investor Richard Basciano has ended in the $227 million settlement. The building collapse took place on June 5, 2013 when a building that was being demolished collapsed on top of a Salvation Army store. The settlement amount will be split among the families of seven people who died and 12 people who were injured in the building collapse.
Joseph A. Slobodzian, Philly.Com 02/08/2017    | | Read Article: Philly.Com |
| Takata Sets Aside $864M in DOJ Lawsuit | | Air bag manufacturer Takata says it will be setting aside $864 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department. Takata has been facing a number of lawsuits over its faulty air bags, the largest ever automobile recall to date. The company recently stated that it would book an additional 3.5 billion yen special loss over recall-related costs in the third quarter. Takata is scheduled to report its third quarter earnings on Friday.
Staff Report, Reuters 02/09/2017 | | Read Article: Reuters |
| Aetna Awarded $51.4M in Out-of-Network Dispute | | Aetna Life Insurance Co. was awarded $51.4 million to recover excessive health care fees it said it paid to Humble Surgical Hospital during the past seven years. The judgment, which includes nearly $10 million in interest, was signed last week by U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes. Aetna sued Humble Surgical Hospital in 2012, contending that the five-bed surgical center in Humble charged the giant health insurance company for procedures up to 10 times more than typical market rates.
L.M. Sixel, Houston Chronicle 02/09/2017 | | Read Article: Houston Chronicle |
| U.S. High Court Puts Off Action on Major Class Action Dispute | | The U.S. Supreme Court will not act until at least the fall on a major business dispute on whether companies can head off costly class action lawsuits, meaning President Donald Trump's nominee to the bench will almost certainly be in place to cast a possible pivotal vote. The court notified lawyers in the case on Wednesday that the three consolidated cases "will be scheduled for oral argument in the 2017 term," which starts in October, rather than the current term that ends in June.
Lawrence Hurley and Robert Iafolla, Reuters 02/09/2017 | | Read Article: Reuters |
| Utility to Pay $8.5 Million to Settle Suit Over Gas Blowout | | The Southern California Gas Co. agreed Wednesday to pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit over a well blowout that spewed natural gas for nearly four months and drove thousands of residents from their Los Angeles homes. The leak was discovered in October 2015 in one of 115 underground wells in the immense Aliso Canyon gas storage facility. Before the well was capped in February 2016, the well had produced the largest-known release of climate-changing methane in U.S. history.
Associated Press, The New York Times 02/09/2017 | | Read Article: The New York Times |
| BMW Agrees to $477M Settlement of Class Action Water Damage Lawsuit | | BMW has agreed to pay $477.7 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed by car owners who may have suffered water damage harming electrical components in vehicle trunks. Settlement papers were filed last week in U.S. District Court in New York and state that owners of 2004-2010 model year BMW 5 Series cars will be eligible for $1,500 reimbursement for prior repairs. Additionally, the company has agreed to pay nearly $1.8 million to cover legal fees and costs of the plaintiffs. The German automaker has faced multiple lawsuits over the last four years in New York and California. The settlement is still awaiting approval by U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest.
David Shepardson, Reuters 02/07/2017 | | Read Article: Reuters |
| Errors in Private Insurance Database Costs Consumers | | Most Americans have never heard about a private database, shared by insurance companies, which helps determine each customer's monthly rate. The database is called C.L.U.E., also known as the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange. Much like creditors rely on reports from companies like Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, insurance companies rely on the C.L.U.E. report from LexisNexis to set insurance rates.
Danielle Leigh, KING 5 Television 02/09/2017 | | Read Article: KING 5 Television |
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