South Dakota Cheese Company Settles Discrimination Charge

December 21, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

A South Dakota cheese making company has agreed to pay $85,000 to settle a sex discrimination charge.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission says Milbank-based Valley Queen Cheese Factory has agreed to pay the settlement to two female applicants rejected for the position of milk hauler.

The EEOC says the company refused to hire the women for the milk hauler positions and had a history of staffing the position exclusively with men.

In addition to the settlement, the company agreed to provide anti-discrimination training to all employees and expand its recruiting.

Valley Queen Cheese Factory denies that it discriminated against women. The company says rather than fight through litigation, it decided it was best to settle the charges.

 

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetCategories: Midwest NewsTopics: settlement, sex discrimination charge, South Dakota, Valley Queen Cheese Factory, workplace biasHave a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk

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Louisiana Pie Maker Sues Fire Suppression Company, Insurers

January 8, 2013Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

New Orleans pie maker, Simon Hubig Co. Inc., whose Louisiana plant was destroyed in a blaze six months ago, has sued the Kenner company that created and maintained its fire suppression system.

The Times-Picayune reported the lawsuit, filed in New Orleans Civil District Court, alleges Fire & Safety Commodities’

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Aon Report Finds Loss of Company Reputation Linked to Crisis Events

October 4, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

According to the Aon-sponsored Reputation Review 2012, a report recently issued by Oxford Metrica, an independent analytics and advisory firm, 7 out of 10 companies “measured in the report that were impacted by disasters in 2011.”

 They lost “more than one-third of their value and two companies lost almost 90 percent.” Aon therefore concludes that a focus on the supply chain “can make the difference between organization growth and failure post-crisis.”

The review points out that in order to analyze the “dynamic between corporate reputation and financial performance, it is important to study the effects of large-scale crises, whether manmade or driven by external forces. Events such as the Japan tsunami and earthquake as well as various accounting scandals, have caused many organizations to lose value.”

Randy Nornes, executive vice president with Aon Risk Solutions, also noted: “While the principles of reputation recovery are made more vivid by crisis, they apply equally to lesser events that can still damage a company’s reputation. Last year’s research revealed that 80 percent of firms will lose 20 percent of their value once every five years due to reputational issues.

“Any company

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Cleanup Continues At Louisiana Explosive Company

December 20, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

Authorities say it could take up to three weeks to finish moving military propellant into storage at an explosives recycling company that caused the evacuation of a Louisiana town.

The town of Doyline was evacuated earlier this month after authorities said they found 6 million pounds of the material improperly stored at Explo Systems Inc.

Explo contracts with the military to demilitarize explosives and other materials.

The company rents space at a National Guard base in north Louisiana.

The material found improperly stored on the base is called M6 and is used as a propellant for artillery rounds.

Louisiana State Police spokesman Matt Harris says Wednesday that crews have moved 4.4 million pounds of product into proper storage sites.

A criminal investigation into the company’s handling of the product is ongoing.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetCategories: Texas / South Central NewsTopics: cleanup, hazardous materials, LouisianaHave a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk

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California DAs, Diet Company Reaches 900K Settlement

November 28, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

A group of California prosecutors say they’ve reached a settlement with a weight loss company that claimed people could lose weight by spreading a so-called

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N.Y.-Based Claims Management Company Invision Names Randazzo President

September 28, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

Invision, a national claims management company providing third party administration, claims auditing and other services, recently appointed Richard G. Randazzo as its new president.

Randazzo brings three decades of experience in claims management to his new role as well as a 37-year history working in claims investigations. As president, he will oversee all claims matters, including third-party administration, risk management, loss control, claims auditing services, investigation services – including surveillance, skip tracing and background checks, as well as record retrieval and trial preparation.

Throughout his career in management, Randazzo has worked in property/casualty insurance, including commercial general liability, homeowner, commercial property, employment practices, inland marine and private passenger and commercial auto. Randazzo is also personally licensed in more than 12 states and is an active member in many claims and insurance associations.

Additionally, Invision also welcomed Carol Meriam as its new claims manager. In her new role, Meriam will be responsible for claims with high exposures, complex issues and extended litigation on behalf of Invision. Since joining the company
in 1997, Meriam has managed major run-off programs, claims analysis and served as an independent expert witness in a multi-million dollar lawsuit.

Invision is a national claims management company, providing services in third party administration, claims auditing, record retrieval, trial preparation, investigation and all related services, risk management and loss control. The Bay Shore, N.Y.-based company has provided claims services across the United States for more than a decade.

 

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EEOC Sues Colorado Company for Axing Employee with Bipolar Disorder

September 24, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticle3 Comments

Dillon Cos., which does business in Colorado as King Soopers Inc., a large retail food company, refused to accommodate and unlawfully fired a receptionist at its company headquarters because of her bipolar condition, according to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in federal court in Denver.

According to suit, EEOC v. Dillon Companies, Inc., d/b/a King Soopers, Inc., King Soopers refused to accommodate Kelly Ferris’s need for sufficient time off to manage her bipolarism.

Hired as a receptionist in 2003, Ferris worked at King Soopers’ headquarters on Tejon Street in Denver for five years before she was discharged while on medical leave. Ferris requested use of the company’s 18-month medical leave policy saying she needed the time to manage a flare-up in her disability.

During her fifth month of company leave, King Soopers fired her for failing to report to work without permission, according to the EEOC suit.

Disability discrimination violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires employers to engage in an interactive process with employees in good faith, exploring what accommodations for a disability are possible. The EEOC suit seeks monetary damages on behalf of Ferris, training on anti-discrimination laws, an injunction, posting of anti-discrimination notices at the work site and other injunctive relief.

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Texas Meat Company Recalling Beef, Pork Products

October 19, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticle1 Comments

Federal health officials say a Dallas, Texas-based meat distributor is recalling about 8,200 pounds of beef and pork products because they weren’t inspected and were improperly labeled.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service said one product from Lao Chareune Foods could not be labeled as a pork snack stick because it was raw. The agency said the products were distributed to retail stores in Louisiana and Texas.

The products recalled were 3-ounce and 8-ounce packages containing “Pork Snack Stick;” 3.2-ounce packages of “Seasoned Fried Beef;” 1.76-ounce packages of “Fried Pork Skins;” and 1.2-ounce packages of “Sliced Fried Pork Ears.”

Federal officials said they hadn’t received any reports of illness from consumption of the products.

There was no answer at a phone listing for the company.

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N.M. Court Rules Against Residents Suing Oil Company

October 5, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

New Mexico’s Court of Appeals has ruled against a group of current and former Hobbs residents who sued an oil company because of illnesses and other damages.

The court on Tuesday upheld a Lea County District Court decision not to grant a new trial in the case against Shell Oil Co. and Shell Western Exploration and Production Inc.

The Hobbs residents alleged there was environmental contamination from oil and natural gas production in an area that became a housing subdivision in the southeastern New Mexico community.

A jury in 2007 ruled in favor of Shell, which had oil storage tanks in the area from 1946 until 1993. There also was an unlined storage pit for oilfield wastes that was buried in the 1960s. Housing development in the area started in the 1970s.

A lawyer for the residents, Michael Newell, said Wednesday that no decision has been made on whether to appeal the ruling to the state Supreme Court.

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WC Billing Company to Pay $1M for Alleged Overcharges in Massachusetts

October 5, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

A workers’ comp pharmacy billing company has agreed to pay restitution after allegedly overcharging Massachusetts and a number of cities and towns within the state for prescription drugs through the workers’ comp insurance system.

StoneRiver Pharmacy Solutions Inc. has agreed to pay approximately $1 million in restitution, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley announced this week.

To date, the AG’s Office has recovered more than $9 million in relief through similar investigations of pharmacy retail stores including Walmart and Target Corp., along with major pharmacy chains CVS, Rite-Aid and Walgreens.

The AG’s Office has also obtained recoveries from both Shaw’s Supermarkets and Stop & Shop regarding their workers’ comp municipal prescription businesses. The settlement with StoneRiver is the eighth of its kind.

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Nebraska Construction Company Owner Sentenced for Wire, Insurance Fraud

June 26, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

A Fremont, Neb., man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for a wire fraud conviction that cost banks and insurance companies in Nebraska and Iowa millions of dollars.

Thomas Herink was sentenced in Omaha’s U.S. District Court. In addition to prison, Herink was given three years of supervised probation following his release and ordered to repay $5,111,026.91 to his victims.

Herink was president and chief executive officer of Golf Services Group Inc., a construction company, according to U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg, who says Herink falsified financial statements to defraud lenders and insurers.

Herink carried out the scheme in order to participate in large construction contracts throughout the country, according to Gilg. Prosecutors say when Herink defaulted on some of the projects, the banks and insurance companies lost more than $8 million.

United Fire and Casualty Co. (UFCC), based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and Employers Mutual Casualty Co. (EMCC), based in Des Moines, Iowa, were insurance companies that provided various insurance products, including surety bonds, to construction contractors, the U.S. attorney’s office said. These bonds, which included bid, performance, and payment bonds, guaranteed that the contractor would fulfill his commitments according to the specifications outlined in the construction contracts. Both UFCC and EMCC provided bid, performance, and payment bonds to Herink and his business entities, according to Gilg’s announcement.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Associated Press

 

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Probe Prompts Kansas Inflatables Company to Cancel Jobs

May 7, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

Several parents were caught off guard when two Wichita, Kan., companies that provide inflatable rides canceled reservations at the last minute.

Last June, Moonwalks for Fun’s license to provide inflatable rides was suspended for two years because of a five-month gap in liability insurance coverage, but The Wichita Eagle reported on May 3 that it appears the company has continued to rent inflatables to city residents.

Pure Entertainment, an events venue, is allowed to have inflatables at its site, but the rides must be provided by a company licensed to operate in Wichita. The companies started calling customers after the newspaper reported they were being investigated by the city for possible ordinance violations.

Both companies are owned by Duane Zogleman and run on a day-to-day basis by his son, Jesse Zogleman.

In 2010, a 5-year-old Wichita boy died after falling from an inflatable ride and hitting his head on a concrete floor. The ride was provided by Moonwalks for Fun at Pure Entertainment. Late last year, the boy’s mother received a $435,000 settlement in a lawsuit she filed against Moonwalks for Fun.

An hour after the newspaper posted its story about the city’s investigation on its website, the Young family got a call from Moonwalks for Fun, saying their daughter’s 4th birthday party at Pure Entertainment would not include inflatable rides.

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Idaho Frozen Food Company Settles With EPA

May 9, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

An Idaho frozen food company has agreed to pay the Environmental Protection Agency $84,000 for failing to report its possession of hazardous chemicals to safety officials.

The EPA said Monday the Caldwell facility of Rhodes International, Inc. stored large quantities of the toxic gas anhydrous ammonia from 2006 to 2009.

Agency officials say the company, which makes frozen cinnamon rolls and other breads, failed to properly notify state and local emergency departments it was storing the chemicals, a violation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act.

Anhydrous ammonia is a pungent gas that attacks skin, eyes, throat and lungs, causing serious injury or death.

EPA unit manager Wally Moon says relaying that information to emergency planners is critical to protecting the community during a chemical spill.

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Blue Cross in Mont., Idaho Buying Benefit Admin Company

April 12, 2012Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetArticleComments

Cross and Blue Shield of Montana along with Blue Cross of Idaho are buying an Idaho company that provides health products and employee-benefit administration services and merging it with a similar Montana company.

The insurance companies have acquired Peak 1 Administration of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and merged it with Blue Cross subsidiary Insurance Coordinators of Montana, which is based in Helena.

The Independent Record reported the company will operate under the name of Peak 1 Administration. Insurance Coordinators serves customers in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon.

Officials declined to discuss the purchase price.

Peak 1 President Dan Crawford says the merger allows them to increase the services they offer and expand the area they serve.

Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Email ThisPrintNewslettersTweetCategories: West NewsTopics: Blue Cross of Idaho, Blue Shield of Montana, Business Moves & Mergers, employee benefitsHave a hot lead? Email us at newsdesk

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