Business Interruption Insurance (“BII”) is a form of commercial insurance coverage that provides limited but useful protection when a business is unable to continue normal operations or occupy its premises due to the occurrence of certain events that are outside the business’ control. [See Business Interruption Insurance, American Insurance Association, which provides the basis for much of this article.]

BII is triggered in one of three ways:

• Physical damage to premises causing the business to suspend operations.

In addition to earthquakes, San Francisco Bay Area residents have an increased risk for landslides.

An article posted by claimsguides.com states:

“Although well aware of the region’s earthquake threat, many San Francisco Bay Area residents are uninformed about another dangerous geologic hazard: landslides triggered by heavy rainfall. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the combination of steep slopes, weak rocks, and intense winter rainstorms make the Bay Area uplands an ideal setting for landslides.

USGS recently released a documentary film ‘Riding the Storm,’ produced by former USGS Geologist Karen Adams, telling the dramatic stories of some of the region’s most significant landslide events and explores the science behind the hazard with USGS researchers Raymond Wilson and Ray Wells. Read More

More than 555 people died (including more than 100 children) in all-terrain vehicle accidents in 2006. An article posted by claimsjournal.com is quoated as stating:

“At least 555 people — including more than 100 children — died in all-terrain vehicle accidents in 2006. Government safety officials expect the number to go much higher as they receive information from coroners and hospitals nationwide.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that an additional 146,600 people were treated in emergency rooms for ATV-related injuries — more than a quarter of them children. Read More

The Davis-Stirling Act governs HOA initiated judicial foreclosures against homeowners relative to outstanding lien assessments.  In 2011, the Huntington Continental Town House Association recorded a delinquent lien assessment against one of its homeowners followed by the filing of a judicial foreclosure action.

The HOA and the homeowner subsequently agreed to a payment plan, but the homeowner failed to remit all payments when due and the plan was cancelled.  The homeowner then attempted to remit three partial payments to the HOA, which were all returned by the HOA to the homeowner.  Read More

From Dave Stern of West Coast Casualty we learned that the Allstate Insurance Corporation agreed to pay as much as $120 million to settle a class-action lawsuit pending in Los Angeles County Superior Court, brought by its California claims adjusters, who sought back overtime pay, and compensation for meal and rest break violations. The settlement affects Allstate claims adjusters who worked in California from November 27, 1996 to December 31, 2004.

Approximately 2,000 adjusters are eligible to receive payments from $1,000 to $95,000, depending on their length of service and workload. Read More