Insurance Commissioner Eleanor Kitzman has decided to skip a public forum to discuss implementation of legislative changes to TWIA being held in Corpus Christi later this week, according to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. This is inexcusable. (more…)
Press Releases
Either They Respect Juries – Or They Don’t
Curt Koenning with the self-styled Texans Against of Lawsuit Abuse recently implored Texans to heed the call for jury service. In an area of rare accord, we agree. Citizens must participate in the jury system. It is a fundamental civic duty and the foundation of our judicial system. But… (you knew that was coming, didn’t you?)
Mr. Koenning’s exhortation is pure hypocrisy. (more…)
SCOTX Immunizes Big Insurance; Harms Workers
Today, the Texas Supreme Court held on rehearing in Texas Mutual v. Ruttiger (No. 08-0751) that injured workers no longer possess a cause of action against an insurance company under the Insurance Code for unfair settlement practices, nor do insurance companies owe workers a common law duty of good faith and fair dealing, eliminating these long-established rights with the stroke of a pen. (more…)
Immunity for Big Pharma
The Texas Supreme Court has given Big Pharma a license to defraud Texas patients.
In its decision in Centocor vs. Hamilton, the Supreme Court ruled that big drug companies have no responsibility to directly warn patients about the dangers of powerful pharmaceuticals. With doctors and nursing homes already shielded from accountability, this decision completes the medical industry trifecta of immunity by adding drug makers to the list. The decision is not surprisingly being hailed by pharmaceutical conglomerates, medical industry lobbyists, and other special interests. (more…)
State Farm Won’t Answer Questions About Coastal Withdrawal
Attorney General Greg Abbott announced in a press release today that State Farm insurance is refusing to comply with inquiries into the company’s decision to not renew 11,000 coastal home insurance policies. State Farm’s decision threatens to upend the state’s insurance market. (more…)
TDI Gets “F” on Public Integrity Scorecard
The Texas Department of Insurance received an “F” from the State Integrity Investigation’s Public Corruption Scorecard, a 50-state survey of public institutions and their susceptibility to corruption.
“This report confirms what Texas policyholders have known for years: the insurance industry holds too much power and sway in our state,” said Alex Winslow, executive director of Texas Watch, a statewide citizens advocacy organization active on insurance issues. “Conflict of interest rules are weak and ineffective, the public doesn’t have access to crucial information, and TDI is an agency rife with political interference.” (more…)
Shine the Light on Insurance Rate Filings
Insurance customers deserve full, unfettered access to as much information as possible when it comes to how insurance companies attempt to justify their rates. However, many insurance companies want to shield this information from public view. The Texas Department of Insurance recently asked for input into ways to clarify what information included in insurance rate filings is subject to public disclosure. Texas Watch submitted the following comments. (more…)
What Does Your Insurance Policy Cover? We’re Trying to Find Out.
The growing number of junk home and auto insurance policies with stripped down coverage and expanding deductibles has become a hot topic at the Capitol with lawmakers expressing frustration that prices keep rising and coverage keeps falling. In an effort to help consumers and lawmakers better understand this issue, Texas Watch submitted a 20-point open records request to the Texas Department of Insurance today seeking information about the coverage available in the market and how TDI makes decisions about insurance policies. (more…)
The Court’s Defenders: Polluters, Big Insurance, Corporate Wrongdoers
On the heels of a 10-year review by Court Watch that found the Texas Supreme Court routinely sides with big government and big corporate interests over everyday Texans, the very special interests that benefit from the Court’s pro-defendant penchant rose to the court’s defense. None of the attacks, however, were able to discredit Court Watch’s findings or the report’s conclusions. Instead, critics are resorting to condescension and ad hominem attacks.The report, “Thumbs on the Scale: A Retrospective of the Texas Supreme Court, 2000-2010,” was released last week by Court Watch, a project of the Texas Watch Foundation. Among the report’s findings was that consumers lost an average of 79% of cases at the high court and that the court overturned 74% of local juries who found in favor of consumers. (more…)
Report: Decade-Long Review Shows Texas Supreme Court Is Activist, Ideological
The Texas Supreme Court has a long history of favoring corporate defendants over families and small businesses, according to a decade-long review of the Court’s decision making by Court Watch, a project of the non-profit Texas Watch Foundation.
Court Watch reviewed the 624 cases involving consumers decided by the Court between 2000 and 2010. The report, “Thumbs on the Scale: A Retrospective of the Texas Supreme Court, 2000-2010,” finds that the state’s high court for civil matters “has marched in lock-step to consistently and overwhelmingly reward corporate defendants and the government at the expense of Texas families.” (more…)
