Ask Tim; Industry News

Abstract: If your agency writes the Workers' Compensation insurance for any small retail stores, you may want to point them to newly published materials from the state Labor Department. Body: ​New York's new law on retail worker safety took effect last week. If your agency writes the Workers' Compensation insurance for any small retail stores, you may want to point them to newly published materials from the state Labor Department. Passed by the state legislature and signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2024, the Retail Worker Safety Act took effect for most retail stores on June 2. It applies to all New York…

Abstract: It will be easier for victims of dog bites to hold pet owners liable thanks to a ruling last month from New York's highest court. Body: ​It will be easier for victims of dog bites to hold pet owners liable thanks to a ruling last month from New York's highest court. The Court of Appeals unanimously overturned previous rulings holding dog owners to a “strict liability" standard, meaning that the owner had no defense against a lawsuit only if they had “actual or constructive knowledge of their animal's vicious propensities." The case involved a postal worker bitten in 2018 by a 70-pound dog while…

Abstract: Proposed updates to New York's building and energy conservation construction code could leave some of the state's property owners with insurance coverage gaps. Body: ​Proposed updates to New York's building and energy conservation construction code could leave some of the state's property owners with insurance coverage gaps. Agencies and brokerages may want to begin offering property insurance clients higher limits of Ordinance or Law Coverage.The New York Department of State announced last month that it is considering amendments to the State Uniform Fire Prevention and Building Code and the State Energy Conservation Construction Code. The amendments would repeal the current versions of the codes…