Recently, the Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division held in the case of Vera v. State Farm Indem. Co. that New Jersey’s no-fault law does not bar policyholders from pursuing a claim of bad faith against their insurer. How did we get here? The plaintiff and...
Legislation that would require businesses and certain rental units to carry insurance passed the state Senate (25-11) on May 26. The bill, S-1368, sponsored by Senate President Scutari, D-22, would require business owners to purchase liability insurance in an...
Having a voice in politics is vital. The volume of a PAC’s voice in politics is directly related to its ability to donate in a significant way to as many candidates as possible. New Jersey PIAPAC supports candidates for state office, including for governor and the...
The Superior Court of New Jersey, Appellate Division recently ruled in the case of Dela Vega v. Travelers Insurance Co.[1] and St. Paul Protective Insurance Company that an intra-family step-down exclusion in a personal automobile policy was unenforceable. How...
The weather in March may come in like a lion and out like a lamb. But legislatively, March ended with a mighty roar as two of PIANJ’s priority bills passed the state Senate recently, both with 37-0 votes. Liquor liability insurance Legislation (S-775) sponsored by...
In celebration of Women’s History Month, I sat down with Lydia Bashwiner, Esq., CWCP, NJWCP, from Otterstedt Insurance Agency Inc. Lydia is the treasurer of New Jersey PIAPAC, as well as the chair of the PIANJ Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Committee. We discussed...
The Department of Banking and Insurance began the process of amending to the state’s continuing-education regulations earlier this month. The DOBI sent an advance notice of rulemaking to PIANJ—as well as other stakeholders—outlining the amendments they are proposing....
Gov. Phil Murphy signed S-1559 into law on Tuesday, which allows consumers to bring “bad-faith” lawsuits against insurers to recover certain damages and expenses. Specifically, the new “bad faith” law—which goes into effect immediately—allows consumers to bring...
New Jersey’s 220th legislative session kicked off Jan. 11, 2022, and quickly shifted into high gear. As we learn to live with COVID-19, legislators, staff members and many advocates returned to the halls of the State House as the Legislature got back to work...
The New Jersey Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau received approval from the Department of Banking and Insurance for a rate revision of -5.3% to go into effect Jan. 1, 2022. The revision is applicable to new and renewal policies. The NJCRIB distributed Circular...