top of page


Florida’s Insurance Reform Lesson for NewYork
By: The Editorial Board https://mcusercontent.com/e1238d5f6560fa573eebd96e3/files/12dfebbc-e74a-6c38-25e5-b385cc26692c/WSJ_Printing_Florida_rsquo_s_Insurance_Reform_Lesson_for_New_York.pdf DeSantis’s success, with auto insurers slashing premiums, could be a model for Hochul. Who would have predicted that insurance reform would become a bipartisan cause du jour? Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week announced more auto and home insurance premium reductions thanks to legal reform
SCCLR Newsletter
7 days ago


Uber riders seeing cheaper trips in Florida due to lower insurance costs
By: James Tutten https://www.wftv.com/news/local/uber-riders-seeing-cheaper-trips-florida-due-lower-insurance-costs/WZXKSW2OMVHRNCCQ2Q3WVPCVJM/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io&utm_campaign=newsletter ORLANDO, Fla. — New data from Uber shows riders are saving money on trips thanks to lower insurance costs. Uber riders have saved about $10 million since March due to lower insurance costs, which have contributed to fare increases in Florida being up to 6% lower than in other
SCCLR Newsletter
Jan 13


Florida Gov. DeSantis announces decrease in homeowners insurance premiums
By: NBC6 https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/desantis-to-speak-in-davie-ahead-of-florida-legislative-session/3747503/ DeSantis announced the decrease at a news conference in Davie on Monday, where he said that policyholders with Citizens Property Insurance, the state’s insurer of last resort, will receive average reductions of 8.7% statewide, while discounts in South Florida counties will be even greater. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a significant decrease in homeowner
SCCLR Newsletter
Jan 12


S.C. bars see rising insurance costs despite tort reform law
A new South Carolina law aims to lower insurance costs for business owners, but those same owners say they’re still feeling the squeeze. https://www.wrdw.com/video/2026/01/10/sc-bars-see-rising-insurance-costs-despite-tort-reform-law/
SCCLR Newsletter
Jan 9


Insurer won't have to defend bar in wrongful death suit
By: Ray Sugrim https://www.propertycasualty360.com/2026/01/09/insurer-wont-have-to-defend-bar-in-wrongful-death-suit/ A South Carolina District Court granted summary judgment in favor of an insurer, ruling that they were not obligated to defend or indemnify a bar involved in a wrongful death lawsuit . The case is Burlington Ins. Co. v. Lowery's Soc. Club, 2025 LX 186410 (D.S.C. 2025). Background The wrongful death lawsuit arose from an incident at Lowery’s Social Club on No
SCCLR Newsletter
Jan 9


10 Highest Class-Action Settlements in 2025 Eclipsed $70B Total: Duane Morris
By: Chad Hemenway https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2026/01/08/853566.htm The value of the 10 highest class-action settlements in 2025 exceeded $70 billion for the first time ever. In fact, the total was nearer to $80 billion across all areas of litigation, according to law firm Duane Morris. For the fourth straight year, total settlements eclipsed the $40 billion mark. Gerald L. Maatman, co-author of the Duane Morris Class Action Review and chair of the firm’s
SCCLR Newsletter
Jan 8


The War for Justice in South Carolina: Three Critical Fronts To Follow
By: Will Folks https://www.fitsnews.com/2026/01/02/the-war-for-justice-in-south-carolina-three-critical-fronts-to-follow/ Where the battle lines are being drawn… The upcoming year will go a long way in determining whether South Carolina becomes safer, freer and more prosperous – or whether the Palmetto State’s powerful trial lawyer lobby cements its stranglehold over the corrupt uni-party establishment that runs the “GOP-controlled” S.C. General Assembly. You know, the same
SCCLR Newsletter
Jan 2


Some insurance reprieve to come to bar and restaurant owners Jan. 1. Will it be enough?
By: Anna Wilder https://www.postandcourier.com/politics/insurance-liquor-lawmakers-liability-jan-1/article_d2093a9c-0e92-40fe-9387-baeb68b84355.html COLUMBIA — Starting Jan. 1, South Carolina will implement a new insurance law for restaurants and bars, a move some lawmakers hope will bring relief to an industry battered by years of rising costs and legal uncertainty. Not all impacted by the price hikes are convinced the changes will help as intended. Lawmakers reached a last-
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 31, 2025


Beloved Upstate bar closes after liquor liability insurance costs surge
By: Leah Phillips https://www.wyff4.com/article/beloved-upstate-bar-closes-after-liquor-liability-insurance-costs-surge/69872165 The Dapper Dog in Mauldin, S.C., has become a home away from home for its customers, which includes both humans and their four-legged friends. MAULDIN, S.C. — The Dapper Dog in Mauldin, South Carolina, has become a home away from home for its customers, which includes both humans and their four-legged friends. However, the bar will officially close
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 27, 2025


We all should care who funds the fight for justice
By: LINDSAY LEWIS AND PHIL GOLDBERG https://thehill.com/opinion/judiciary/5651240-foreign-influence-litigation-funding/ America’s civil justice system has long been the envy of the world. For 250 years, it has been the keystone of our economic and political liberties, providing a forum for individuals and businesses to redress wrongs and resolve disputes. Today, this public good is at risk. Hedge funds, foreign wealth funds and other investors are transforming American court
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 17, 2025


Georgia Commissioner Touts More Auto Rate Reductions by Major Insurers
By: Insurance Journal https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2025/12/17/851483.htm Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King announced more auto insurance rate reductions for motorists in the state—the second announcement in as many months. King credited tort-reform laws and stepped-up efforts to combat insurance fraud. “As we continue the OCI mission to build a fair and affordable insurance marketplace, I am confident that we will see rates further decline across Geo
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 17, 2025


The Average Small Business Liability Claim Now Costs $97,200
By: USA Business Insurance Services https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-average-small-business-liability-claim-now-costs-97-200--302642928.html BURBANK, Calif., Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- New national data shows that medical costs and other factors have led to a steep increase in the cost of liability claims. The new average claim cost for liability claims in the US is $97,200. This cost point is alarming, and it clearly threatens the survival of small businesses
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 16, 2025


‘A Coordinated Scheme’: State Senator’s Legal Exposure Expands
By: Jenn Wood https://www.fitsnews.com/2025/12/15/a-coordinated-scheme-state-senators-legal-exposure-expands/ New motion claims bank enabled Josh Kimbrell’s alleged scheme to defraud his business partner… South Carolina state senator Josh Kimbrell is facing yet another legal setback as his former business partner moved earlier this month to dramatically expand the civil-fraud lawsuit already threatening his political career. Last Monday (December 8, 2025), attorneys for Gree
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 15, 2025


Scandal-Scarred S.C. Senator Received Personal Loan From Powerful Trial Lawyer
By: Will Folks https://www.fitsnews.com/2025/12/13/scandal-scarred-s-c-senator-received-personal-loan-from-powerful-trial-lawyer/ One of South Carolina’s most powerful and politically connected trial lawyers has quietly extended a loan to a state senator embroiled in a nasty divorce – one caused by an affair the senator had with a political operative tied to the nefarious trial lawyer lobby. Peter Protopapas – a Columbia, S.C. attorney and member of the state’s much-maligned
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 13, 2025


Repeat offender represented by Gil Gatch
By: Alan Hovorka https://www.postandcourier.com/news/crime/charleston-bond-walter-pate-assault/article_dc49c1d2-5625-4bb2-85e5-2f3afe0eaad4.html CHARLESTON — A man out of jail while facing charges of sexual assault, kidnapping and attempted murder has been arrested in connection with another alleged assault and kidnapping. Walter Clayton Pate was arrested late Dec. 10 by the Charleston Police Department, which charged him with first-degree assault and battery, first-degree b
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 11, 2025


MOORE: Stop the trial lawyer tax
By: Stephen Moore https://nsjonline.com/article/2025/12/moore-stop-the-trial-lawyer-tax/ Trial lawyers have been the bane of U.S. employers for many decades, sucking blood out of the economy like a swarm of mosquitos. The most famous case was back in the 1990s, when the courts awarded a $500,000 judgment to a McDonald’s customer who claimed she was burned by coffee that was too scalding hot. Then there was the Washington man who sued a dry cleaner for $50 million for losing a
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 5, 2025


Claims drive up insurance premiums
By: Kaitlin Maness https://www.hannapub.com/ouachitacitizen/news/local_state_headlines/claims-drive-up-insurance-premiums/article_9534c379-3588-40e4-ae0e-e89b3486bd0c.html Commercial auto insurance premiums continue to rise in Louisiana, though private passenger auto insurance premiums have started to decrease, state Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple says. Temple visited West Monroe Tuesday to discuss recent auto insurance reform and what else needs to be done to make auto in
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 3, 2025


Attorney Advertising: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
By: Jerry Theodorou https://www.rstreet.org/commentary/attorney-advertising-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/?utm_campaign=Website%20subscribers%20-%20General&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--CBraYUQRAMP3XQuSchlb0GVXbN2mOpC53X42sqsdVdro0oBRzXPtjiyvyCcDA7l2EzvpmuO1iUQf2saKZR3LL5Ceqgw&_hsmi=393017656&utm_content=393017656&utm_source=hs_email If it seems there are more billboards advertising legal services on our highways and in our cities, it’s because there are. The number of rad
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 3, 2025


Former S.C. Lawmaker Strikes Plea Deal Ahead Of Trial
By: Erin Parrot https://www.fitsnews.com/2025/12/02/former-s-c-lawmaker-strikes-plea-deal-ahead-of-trial/ In a last minute development, former South Carolina state lawmaker Rick Martin struck a plea deal with prosecutors one day after his trial was scheduled to begin in Newberry County. As we exclusively reported at the time, the third-term state lawmaker was charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor in December of 2021 after he “did knowingly and willfully
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 2, 2025


Waking up ‘gasping’: Woman sues Prisma Health, surgeon for damaging ability to breathe
By: Andy Tsubasa Field https://www.postandcourier.com/columbia/business/woman-prisma-plastic-surgeon-diaphragm/article_6ff057f3-eb15-4611-a0ec-d03aa5930a60.html COLUMBIA — A Richland County resident is suing Prisma Health and one of its plastic surgeons alleging he permanently injured the nerve that controls her diaphragm and left her with lasting breathing problems. In a lawsuit filed in Richland County court, Sheri Callahan, 54, alleges Dr. Mirsad Mirza Mujadzic of Prisma
SCCLR Newsletter
Dec 2, 2025
bottom of page



