Injured Construction Worker in Queens Gets Record $62 Million Single-Plaintiff Award – N.Y. Post
A construction worker who was injured on the job has been awarded $62 million — the largest lawsuit verdict for a single plaintiff in Queens. The Queens Supreme Court jury unanimously ruled to dole out the money — $20 million for past pain and suffering, $42 million for future pain and suffering and $60,086.27 for previous medical expenses. The employee suffered a traumatic brain injury and other serious injuries in a 20-foot fall off a roof while working in 2008. At trial 20 witnesses were brought in to prove the construction company did not provide Lin with proper safety devices.
New York Construction Company to Pay $380,000 in Back Wages – U.S. Department of Labor
A Wage and Hour Division investigation found that Liverpool, N.Y., employer General Interior Systems Inc. violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by misclassifying more than 300 drywall installers as independent contractors and then failing to pay them overtime. The department won a judgment in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York on behalf of the affected employees that required General Interior to pay $380,000 in back wages. Working throughout central New York and the Northeast, the employees put in as many as 60 to 70 hours per week with regularity and were paid straight time for hours worked beyond 40 in a work week.
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Government Funding Bill Rolls Back Trucker Rest Requirements – NPR
The regulation is part of a series of rules that spell out the number of hours that long-haul truck drivers can be on the road. Last year, a rule took effect that required those drivers to take two consecutive nights off after every 70 hours they spend behind the wheel.
Truckers No Longer Have to File No-defect Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports – Bloomberg
In a move expected to save the trucking industry nearly $2 billion per year, pre- and post-trip inspections no longer need to be filed by CMV drivers if no safety defects or mechanical deficiencies are found.
Terrorism Risk Insurance Act Set to Expire After Bill Blocked in Senate – I.B Times
Although Congress will likely reintroduce a new bill aimed at renewing TRIA when it reconvenes in January, the impact of allowing TRIA to expire may be felt by businesses across the country. Insurers may seek to cancel terrorism policies after Jan. 1, 2015, out of fear that a major terrorist attack could occur without a government backstop in place.
Businesses in the real estate, construction and hospitality industries may be especially hard-hit if rates for terrorism insurances increase in the absence of TRIA. Additionally, insurance industry representatives argue that the federal backstop created by TRIA is still necessary for economic stability and to ensure that developers can get affordable insurance for new projects.
New York Vehicle Theft Down for 23rd Straight Year – NICB
From its peak auto theft year in 1990 when 187,591 vehicles were stolen, New York has experienced a significant decline ending 2013 with 15,482 thefts. That’s a reduction of 92 percent since 1990, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).
