Failure to Train Techs Could Lead to Heavy Consequences
In the February issue of BodyShop Business, Editor Jason Stahl discusses a recent $22.8 million court verdict over a faulty tire repair that got him wondering if similar lawsuits are on the horizon for the collision repair industry.
The Top Collision News of 2011
State Farm’s shop locator list, lawsuits involving State Farm, and NACE’s departure from Las Vegas rank among BodyShop Business readers’ top interests this year. The top five stories are featured in today’s newsletter in order of rank and are also explained in this story.
Huffington Post Article Explores Insurer ‘Shorting’ Practice
An article in The Huffington Post says that Allstate and other insurers have nearly doubled their profits since the 1990s by following a new model of business that produces purposefully low offers to claimants.
ARA Issues Second Statement Cautioning Against Strict Adherence to OEM Repair Policies
The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) says it is again urging the collision repair industry to ensure that any official, industry-sanctioned “repair standards” for collision repair include all recognized procedures – not just those of the OEMs.
New Automotive Education & Policy Institute Initiative Aims to Expose Fraudulent Insurer Tactics
The Automotive Education & Policy Institute (AEPI) is collecting legal case materials from actions involving recovery for collision repair services and needs your help. Beginning immediately, the AEPI is asking attorneys, consumers and collision repair professionals to get in touch with AEPI about information pertaining to lawsuits, arbitration or appraisal matters that sought to obtain
Insurers Sue Toyota Over Acceleration Crashes
Toyota is being sued by seven insurance companies in an attempt to recover money paid to cover crashes reportedly caused by sudden acceleration, the Los Angeles Times reported. The insurers are seeking more than $230,000 for 14 crashes throughout the United States. The insurers quote data blaming 725 crashes on the problem and say Toyota
Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Resigns
Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Thomas Sullivan resigned this week after many groups — including the Auto Body Association of Connecticut (ABAC) — called for him to be fired. In a letter sent last week to Gov. M. Jodi Rell, ABAC said that Sullivan failed to enforce insurance laws in the state and didn’t scrutinize alleged insurer
Allstate Files Lawsuit Against Toyota Over Acceleration Issue
Allstate filed a lawsuit against Toyota last Friday in hopes of recovering $3 million-plus it paid out for claims in accidents related to sudden acceleration. The suit claims Toyota disregarded evidence of acceleration problems in its automobiles and did not install a brake override system that would have prevented accidents. Like other lawsuits, the Allstate
WIN Employment Webinar Discusses Increase in Harassment Claims, Including Male-On-Male ‘Hazing’
The Women’s Industry Network’s (WIN) first interactive employment webinar, "Demystifying Discrimination, Diversity and the Evolving Workforce," is available to the entire industry on WIN’s website. The webinar originally aired July 27 and was made available to WIN members and sponsors. The session looked at best practices for recruiting and hiring top notch talent and navigating
Mid Island Collision Suit Against Allstate Goes to Federal Court
A District Court judge has thrown out Allstate’s request for a summary judgment on claims of tortious interference and violation of unfair business practices law by Mid Island Collision of Rockville Centre, New York, allowing the case to move forward in Federal Court. In 2007, Mid Island brought Allstate to court, alleging that the insurer