Declarations

Forever Suit

“These companies had knowledge that these chemicals cause harm and they still chose profit over people.”

— New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney explained the reasoning behind a suit against the manufacturers of so-called “forever chemicals,” commonly referred to as PFAS, seeking monetary damages to defray the costs of environmental monitoring and cleanups.

Blessed to Get Out

“Personally I feel blessed that we were able to get out of there, and I also feel really, really angry that it wasn’t taken seriously. … It almost just seemed like a disregard for human life for a petty $750 a month.”

— Trent Fuessel, 21, was one of several tenants at The Davenport to report safety concerns before the Iowa apartment building partially collapsed on May 28, leaving three dead. Tenants have begun filing lawsuits over the collapse, claiming that Village Property Management knew of structural defects to the building but did not act. Davenport city officials were aware of crumbling cricks and bulging walls at the building since at least 2021 and threatened to close some units, but the owner initially appeared to take no action. Fuessel had moved out before the building collapsed.

Changing Business Conditions

“As business conditions — such as emerging from the pandemic — change, so must business approaches,”

— Carly Kraft, a spokesperson for Farmers Insurance, said in an email to Insurance Journal after Farmers Group CEO Raul Vargas reversed a prior company decision to allow most workers to do their jobs from home by instituting a hybrid work schedule. Starting in September, employees within 50 miles of a Farmers office must come in to work at least three days per week. Kraft said with the change, “roughly 60% of Farmers employees will be hybrid, while other roles will be either virtual or in-office.”

Violence Against Healthcare Workers

“Workplace violence is an increasing problem for healthcare workers. The incident in this investigation is one of many recent attacks by patients against industry workers.”

— OSHA Area Director Mark Briggs in Houston said after the federal workplace safety agency determined that Houston’s Texas Children’s Hospital exposed employees who worked with patients with behavioral health issues to physical threats and assaults. On Nov. 10, 2022, an aggressive patient pulled a security officer to the ground by the hair and kicked them repeatedly in the chest and abdomen. The officer, who was responding to an alert, lost consciousness, was taken to the emergency room and hospitalized.

Camera-Toting Bears

“I have known that bear for a long time.”

— Mark Brault said regarding a lawsuit he and his wife, Carol, filed against the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) claiming a bear with a camera is violating their Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. The Braults allege that DEEP tagged and placed cameras on bears in their area, including one known as Bear 119, which they observed on May 20 on their property with a video camera on its collar. DEEP acknowledges in its “Living With Black Bears” companion website that the state puts tracking collars and tags on bears but does not mention cameras.

Florida Roof Claims

“This form is required to combat fraudulent roof claims from continuing to impact loss results.”

— States a letter to Florida regulators explaining why Slide Insurance needed an unusual roof endorsement for homeowner policies that appears to bar coverage for wear and tear, as well as most roof damage that isn’t caused by a named storm.