In a significant win for all policyholders in the energy sector, the Supreme Court of Texas reversed a lower appellate court ruling which allowed a consortium of Lloyd's underwriters to limit their indemnity obligations to pay for defense expenses incurred by Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and its affiliates stemming from the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Anadarko was a minority interest owner of the Madondo well that was drilled by the Deepwater Horizon.
When can an employer challenge a workers' compensation claim?
As an employer, dealing with a workers' compensation claim can lead to many negative consequences, including increased insurance premiums. There can be times when a claim for workers' compensation is invalid, so it is important to consider every claim that is made against you.
Claiming workers' compensation is incentivizing for employees, because they are able to reclaim all medical bills and a portion of the lost wages that they suffered as a result of taking unpaid leave for recovery. There are many reasons why a person might make a wrongful claim in the state of Louisiana. The following are some of the most common grounds for an employer to challenge a workers' compensation claim.
Do people learn from one divorce to avoid a second one?
People often think that going through a divorce means that the odds your second marriage will end in divorce drastically decrease. They assume that you learned from the mistakes you made the first time around.
For instance, perhaps you got married too quickly -- before you really knew the other person that well. As you got to know each other, it became clear that you shouldn't be married, and you wound up asking for a divorce. If you get married again, you'll spend more time together before committing, so shouldn't you theoretically face lower divorce odds in that second marriage?
Trump argues for the elimination of federal waterways oversight
On Dec. 12, 2017, the Trump administration announced plans to reduce federal oversight over tributary and wetlands pollution. This marked a big win for farmers, fracking companies and builders who have been forced to adhere to the Clean Water Act (CWA) regulations regarding waste and water usage for decades.
During Trump's run for the presidency, he mentioned that one of his top priorities upon taking office would be to order that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) eliminate the Waters of the United States rule.
How can you minimize fraudulent workers' compensation claims?
Employers walk a fine line when it comes to handling worker injuries. They may want to take care of an employee who has gotten hurt or become ill on the job. However, they also want to weed out those who attempt to make false injury reports. There are a number of measures that you can implement when hiring your staff and when an employee files a claim to make sure that you don't get taken advantage of.
Before hiring a prospective employee, you'll want to perform a thorough background and credit check on them. It may reveal that they've been convicted of fraud before or that they have a child support lien or other debts. It may also ease your mind to do random drug testing on applicants.
Your criminal record can affect your ability to win child custody
If you ask any family law judge in Louisiana what their responsibility is when deciding a heated custody dispute, they'll tell you that it's to make a decision that's in the child's best interests. Before deciding what's ideal for them, they'll often consider their gender, age, family relationships, school affiliations and even sometimes their own wishes. A judge will want to know about a mom's or dad's fitness to be a parent as well.
Before making a decision about custody, the judge may inquire about a mom's or dad's past problems with substance or alcohol abuse, domestic violence or other criminal offenses that they've been convicted of.
Louisiana gets another drop in compensation insurance rates
There are many pitfalls for even the most conscientious worker focusing on safety. Many jobs in Louisiana, such as short-haul trucking and industrial fishing, have some of the highest injury rates of industries around the country. The state is also a center of offshore drilling, a type of resource extraction with the highest death rate.
Workers' compensation is one protection that ensures employees can get financial help out of an unexpected injury on the job. Every state guarantees the right of injured and disabled workers to claim lost wages and help for medical expenses while they are recovering from a work injury.
A judge is to decide if the Bayou Bridge Pipeline moves forward
On Nov. 16, a Louisiana judge was slated to hold a preliminary hearing about the 162-mile pipeline that a privately-held fossil fuel company has already begun building across the Atchafalaya Basin and the southern part of the state. Both parties are fighting over whether the United States Constitution allows these types of companies to seize private citizen's property to install their pipelines.
Once finished, this pipeline is slated to connect the Dakota Access Pipeline directly to Louisiana refineries. Indigenous groups first voiced their opposition to this at Standing Rock in 2016.
How to start the divorce conversation
It's a big step to tell your spouse that you want to end the marriage. You know you want to, but how do you start that conversation?
First and foremost, stay calm. This is something you want to discuss in a relaxed setting over a cup of coffee, not something you want to yell at your spouse the next time you get angry. Try to have a respectful conversation where you just explain what you want and why. You can't control how your spouse reacts, but you can control how you present it.
Important insurance coverage for your business
It takes quite a lot of energy, dedication, time and commitment to run your own business. Many people risk all they've built in their business by not having the proper insurance policies protecting the company. Today, we will take a look at the insurance policies you should have to protect your business from the ground up in the event a lawsuit or other issue arises.
The very first policy you should purchase is liability insurance. This will cover your business from mistakes and failure to perform issues. This coverage is also known as errors and omissions. There is no one policy that covers all businesses or industries. The policy will be tailored to your industry.
