Groton Injury Lawyer
News
August 2008. Insurance. According to the Connecticut Insurance Commissioner, certain health insurance companies have engaged in the unfair insurance practice of cancelling health insurance policies, or denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. The Connecticut Insurance Commissioner has issued a “consumer alert” for all Connecticut residences that purchased health insurance from three heath insurance companies that are part of Assurant Health: Time Insurance Company (formerly Fortis); John Alden Life Insurance Company; and Union Security Insurance Company. The March 2007 Connecticut Insurance Commissioner ordered that all claim denials and cancellations must be reviewed to determine whether the claims should have been covered. The companies were required to notify their customers of the order.
July 2008. Product liability. Merck & Co. the maker of Vioxx has agreed to pay $58 million as part of a multistate settlement of allegations that its ads for their product deceptively played down health risks. Also, in February 2007 Merck agreed to pay $671 million to settled claims that it overcharged the government for its Vioxx medication, and three other popular drugs, and bribed doctors to prescribe its drugs. Additionally, there is a pending $4.85 billion settlement that would end the bulk of the litigation regarding the thousands of product liability claims that Vioxx caused heart attacks and strokes. From the Connecticut Law Tribune.
June 2008. Product liability. All products must be reasonably safe for the intended and reasonably foreseeable uses of the product. Part of the obligation to make products reasonably safe is to include proper warnings of hazards that accompany the product and its uses. The American National Standards Institute published a new standard regarding warnings accompanying a product. The new standard Z353.6 is specifically designed for warnings on materials that accompany the product rather than warning that are on the product itself.
November 2007. Worker’s Compensation. Workers compensations insurance rates will rise an average of 3.4 percent for 2008 as reported by the Hartford Currant newspaper. Workers compensation insurance protects workers from injuries that occur on the job. Each industry has its own rates depending on how dangerous the job is. On average, rates for all industries will rise by 3.4 percent. The rate increase was approved by the Connecticut Insurance Commissioner.
The Bartinik Law Firm, P.C.
100 Fort Hill Road
Groton, Connecticut 06340
email: pjb@grotonlaw.com
860 445 8521
860 445 5873 fax
