There are indications that the Pluralistic Ignorance that has characterized the past 4 years is at last coming to an end. More and more people are openly questioning the veracity of our response to Covid. Trust in physicians and hospitals has plummeted. The credibility of our Public Health institutions has been squandered. It will only be regained through a combination of insistence on accountability for past actions, the abolition (not just declaration) of conflicts of interest, the untangling of the influence of Big Pharma on public policy, and reform in organized medicine and medical education. https://brownstone.org/articles/medicine-needs-critical-thinking-not-critical-theory/

USAA Punished for it Claims Handling Punitive Damages Should be Awarded With Caution and Within Narrow Limits Read the full article at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/usaa-punished-claims-handling-barry-zalma-esq-cfe-nbp2c, see the full video at and at and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 4950 posts. Posted on December 19, 2024 by Barry Zalma DISPUTE OVER HURRICANE DAMAGES RESULTS IN MAJOR PUNITIVE DAMAGES FOR BAD FAITH Although he Mississippi Supreme Court recognized the need to only award punitive damages with caution and within narrow limits, it did not limit its award in accordance with that maxim. After almost 19 years of litigation the last appeal resolved the various disputes. FACTS Hurricane Katrina destroyed Paul and Sylvia Minor’s home on August 29, 2005. The Minors had a homeowner’s insurance policy with United Services Automobile Association (USAA). The USAA policy covered damage caused by wind but excluded damage caused by storm surge or flood. The Minors reported their loss with USAA, which resulted in a years-long coverage dispute. USAA ultimately issued payments for damage it concluded was caused by wind but not for damage it concluded was caused by storm surge or flood. The Minors maintained that they suffered a total loss caused by wind and demanded that USAA pay the policy limits. The case proceeded to trial in 2013, and the jury awarded the Minors $1,547,293.37 in compensatory damages. In United Services Automobile Association v. Estate Of Sylvia F. Minor, Kathryn Minor and Stephen Minor, No. 2023-CA-00049-SCT, Supreme Court of Mississippi, En Banc (December 5, 2024) resolved the bad faith claims. The issue was ultimately presented to a jury. The jury awarded the Minors $10,000,000 in punitive damages and $457,858.89 in extra-contractual damages (solely attorneys’ fees). USAA appealed, raising several assignments of error. Trial To establish its bad faith claim, the Minor Estate introduced various USAA documents, including (1) portions of the USAA underwriting file; (2) the confidential email regarding (a) the engineer’s March 2006 findings and (b) Bergstrom’s conclusion that USAA would be responsible for paying for all the windows and the contents in rooms with windows; and (3) USAA’s letter to the Minors in June 2006 indicating the majority of damage was due to flooding. Punitive Damages Punitive damages are considered an ‘extraordinary remedy’ and should be awarded ‘with caution and within narrow limits.'” The Supreme Court found that the evidence presented at trial demonstrates a type of conduct for which punitive damages were designed. The Minor Estate provided sufficient proof that USAA acted in bad faith, with complete disregard for the Estate’s rights. Whether The $10 Million Punitive Damages Award Should Be Reversed Or, Alternatively, Reduced. USAA alternatively argues that the $10 million verdict should be reduced because it claims that the damages award is a 22:1 ratio and therefore unconstitutionally disproportionate to the extra-contractual damages awarded ($457,858.89). USAA relies on State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance Co. v. Campbell, 538 U.S. 408, 425, 123 S.Ct. 1513, 1524, 155 L.Ed.2d 585 (2003), which states that “[s]ingle-digit multipliers are more likely to comport with due process.” USAA argued that a 1:1 ratio should apply to the damages award here. The Supreme Court found that punitive damages is less than seven times the amount of compensatory damages, which it concluded clearly falls within the guideline provided in Campbell. A punitive damages award not only serves as a deterrent, it also compensates the plaintiff for its public service in bringing the action. The Supreme Court found the trial court’s decision to force the Minor Estate to use nearly half of its award to pay attorneys’ fees does not adequately compensate the Estate for bringing this action against USAA for its bad faith conduct in handling the Minors’ insurance claim from 2005. Therefore, the Supreme Court concluded that the trial court erred by denying the Estate’s post-trial motion for attorneys’ fees. CONCLUSION In sum, the trial judge did not err as a matter of law by submitting the issue of punitive damages to jury, and the $10 million award of punitive damages is not unconstitutionally disproportionate. The Supreme Court affirmed the jury verdict awarding the Minor Estate $10 million in punitive damages and $457,858.89 in extra-contractual damages as to attorneys’ fees and reverse the judgment of the trial court and render attorneys’ fees on behalf of the Estate in the amount of $4,500,000, plus post-judgment interest at an annual rate of 4 percent from October 3, 2022, the date of judgment, until paid. ZALMA OPINION This case that dragged on through the courts of Mississippi for 19 years and resulted in compensatory damages based upon an interpretation finding coverage for the estate and that the insurer’s conduct was so egregious that the estate was entitled to tort damages plus punitive damages many times more than the compensatory damages. The Supreme Court astonishingly concluded that punitive damages were not limited to punishing the insurer but were payment to the estate for its action on behalf of everyone in the state of Mississippi and that they should not be required to pay their lawyers but that payment should come from the insurer as part of its punishment. The Supreme Court ignored the fact that as a result the estate must pay income taxes on the punishment damages since they are not designed to make the insured whole and punished each member and insured of USAA. In my opinion it’s time the courts of the USA do away with the tort of bad faith to avoid excessive judgments and allow contract disputes to be enlarged into a major amount of punishment for an insurer who rejected a claim based on interpretation of contract terms and the facts of a loss, like this case. In that regard see my book, It’s Time to Abolish The Tort of Bad Faith Available as a paperback here. Available as a Kindle book here. (c) 2024 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc. Please tell your friends and colleagues about this blog and the videos and let them subscribe to the blog and the videos. Subscribe to my substack at https://barryzalma.substack.com/subscribe Go to X @bzalma; Go to Newsbreak.com https://www.newsbreak.com/@c/1653419?s=01; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://rumble.com/account/content?type=all; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://lnkd.in/gwEYk

China’s Trojan Horse: Military-Aged Migrants and America’s Open Border https://politiquerepublic.substack.com/p/chinas-trojan-horse-military-aged?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=840660&post_id=153025331&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=djel3&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email The surge of Chinese nationals illegally crossing the southern border has taken on alarming dimensions, underscoring the vulnerabilities caused by the Biden regime’s open border policy. Hundreds of thousands of military-aged Chinese men have entered the United States, according to estimates from border security experts and reports highlighted by agencies like Customs and Border Protection, with estimates ranging from 400,000 to over 1,000,000 individuals. Many believe this influx to be the foundation of a modern terracotta army assembled on American soil?

https://medforth.biz/israel-decides-to-shut-down-its-embassy-in-ireland-citing-extreme-anti-israel-policy-of-the-irish-government/

Intent to Move is not a Residence Residence Premises Requires the Insured to Live in Residence Post 4944 Read the full article at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/intent-move-residence-barry-zalma-esq-cfe-qmlxc, see the full video at and at and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 4900 posts. In Paul Villalobos v. Clear Blue Insurance Company, No. 24-20125, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit (December 10, 2024) the the Fifth Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissa of Plaintiff-Appellant Paul Villalobos’s breach of contract claim following a coverage dispute between himself and his insurer, Clear Blue Insurance Company, because he admitted he did not live in the insured premises. FACTS Villalobos is named on a Clear Blue homeowners’ policy, which provides coverage for property located at 7503 Muirwood Lane in Houston, Texas (the “Property”). The policy’s “Property Coverages” section states in pertinent part: “We cover . . . [t]he dwelling on the ‘residence premises’ shown in the Declarations.” The policy defines “residence premises,” also in pertinent part, as “[t]he one-family dwelling where you reside . . . on the inception date of the policy period shown in the Declarations.” The Declarations page lists Villalobos as the insured, his mailing address as the Property, and the inception date as September 21, 2021. In mid-November 2021, Villalobos reported to Clear Blue that wind and hail had damaged the Property’s roof earlier that month. Clear Blue denied coverage after Villalobos admitted he lived in Colorado and had never resided at the Property. Villalobos sued Clear Blue, alleging breach of contract, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Texas Insurance Code, fraud, and ongoing conspiracy to commit illegal acts. ANALYSIS During his deposition, Villalobos testified that he lived in Colorado for over nine years and did not reside at the Property when the Clear Blue policy went into effect. Clear Blue moved for summary judgment on Villalobos’s claims, arguing there was no insurance coverage for Villalobos’s property damage as a matter of law. Applying Louisiana law, the Fifth Circuit has previously determined that an identical residence requirement in a homeowners’ insurance policy required “more than purchasing a home or intending to move into it.” GeoVera Specialty Ins. Co. v. Joachin, 964 F.3d 390, 393 (5th Cir. 2020). Applying Joachin the Fifth Circuit agreed with the district court that the Property did not satisfy the policy’s residence requirement and was not a covered “residence premises” because: it is undisputed that Villalobos did not reside on the Property on the inception date of the Clear Blue policy; and Villalobos’s only material argument on appeal is that he intended to move onto the Property. Joachin held that “intending to move” is not enough. The Fifth Circuit concluded that there is no coverage under the policy. Accordingly, Villalobos’s breach of contract claim failed and the USDC’s judgment was affirmed. ZALMA OPINION That something as obvious as a home in Texas cannot be the residence premises of a person who lives full time in Colorado. Insurers issue property insurance policies providing coverage similar to a homeowners policy to the owner of a rental property while a homeowners policy limits coverage to the person who actually resides at the property. That this case went to the Fifth Circuit was the waste of Plaintiff’s time and money, the waste of the time of the trial court, and the waste of the time of the Fifth Circuit who rendered a concise and clear opinion. A less kind judge or appellate court would have imposed sanctions on the party plaintiff and his counsel. (c) 2024 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc. Please tell your friends and colleagues about this blog and the videos and let them subscribe to the blog and the videos. Subscribe to my substack at https://barryzalma.substack.com/subscribe Go to X @bzalma; Go to Newsbreak.com https://www.newsbreak.com/@c/1653419?s=01; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://rumble.com/account/content?type=all; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://lnkd.in/gwEYk

Germany Frankfurt propose ECB interest rates by 25 basis points is well on track 200 million European citizens and the strength of monetary policy transmission are set out in a press release available on our link ecb.europa.eu/press/pr/date/20

Trial Must Proceed Under Plaintiff’s True Name Fraud Defense Insufficient to Allow Plaintiff to Sue Under Pseudonym Post 4944 Read the full article at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/trial-must-proceed-under-plaintiffs-true-name-barry-zalma-esq-cfe-zc7ic/, see the full video at and at and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 4900 posts. LITIGANTS MUST NOT HIDE THEIR IDENTITY Plaintiff sued State Farm under a pseudonym. The Court subsequently issued an order requiring Plaintiff to proceed using his actual name. Plaintiff appealed that order, and he now seeks to stay the Court’s order while his appeal is pending in James Doe v. State Farm General Insurance Company, No. 23-cv-04734-JSC, United States District Court, N.D. California (November 26, 2024). BACKGROUND Plaintiff alleged State Farm improperly and in bad faith denied coverage for his claim involving a lost wristwatch that retails at approximately $30,300. He filed his complaint under the pseudonym “James Doe,” insisting a pseudonym was necessary “to protect his privacy, his family, his reputation, and his livelihood, because he has been struggling with mental illnesses.” The Court rescinded its order permitting Plaintiff to proceed anonymously. At a ZOOM hearing the Court informed Plaintiff his actual name appeared on the Zoom screen. Although Plaintiff had yet to file a motion to stay the Court’s order requiring him to proceed under his actual name. The Court denied State Farm’s motion as to the breach of contract and wrongful policy cancellation claims. Jury trial is scheduled to commence in May 2025. DISCUSSION Parties may use pseudonyms in the unusual case when nondisclosure of the party’s identity is necessary to protect a person from harassment, injury, ridicule or personal embarrassment. Plaintiff based his claim for anonymity on two grounds: 1. Plaintiff argues anonymity is necessary because he has revealed highly sensitive and personal matters about himself, his mental illnesses and physical injuries in the course of the case. Yet, Plaintiff did not identify where in the record those highly sensitive matters are discussed. Plaintiff has not sought to redact any portions of his filings, assuming anything in them may be concealed from the public. So, Plaintiff is unlikely to prevail on this theory. 2. Plaintiff argues anonymity is necessary because the accusation of insurance fraud will ruin his reputation for honesty before a jury has passed judgment on his credibility and honesty at trial. Plaintiff states the case involves grave social stigmatization to Plaintiff because he has been accused of committing or seeking to commit insurance fraud. The USDC noted that Plaintiff showed no reasonable probability that an insurer’s material misrepresentation defense transforms a breach of contract claim into a matter of sensitive and highly personal nature, Here, Plaintiff is seeking coverage for a lost wristwatch. If an accusation of insurance fraud were sufficiently stigmatizing to warrant anonymity, then plaintiffs could proceed anonymously virtually anytime they challenge an insurer’s denial of coverage on the basis of a material misrepresentation. The Ninth Circuit’s mandate requires that parties only use pseudonyms in the unusual case. IRREPARABLE INJURY Plaintiff failed to demonstrate he will be irreparably injured absent a stay. The injury Plaintiff fears has already occurred to some extent by Plaintiff’s own doing. He appeared at a public hearing using his actual name. Further, in its recent summary judgment order, the Court concluded there was a dispute of fact as to whether Plaintiff intentionally concealed or misrepresented a material fact or circumstance relating to his insurance. At this point in this proceeding, there has been no finding of insurance fraud. HOIST ON HIS OWN PETARD Given that Plaintiff himself proceeded at a public hearing without taking steps to prevent the very disclosure he claims is so injurious, Plaintiff has not met his burden on the irreparable injury factor. As summary judgment was denied on the breach of contract claim, the case is proceeding to trial. The public interest lies in transparent and public court proceedings, especially trials. The Court denied Plaintiff’s motion to stay the order requiring Plaintiff to proceed under his actual name. ZALMA OPINION Pursuing litigation under a pseudonym because the defendant insurer claimed the Plaintiff attempted insurance fraud because his mental health and reputation would be harmed by the claims is insufficient. First, Plaintiff chose to sue State Farm. He could protect his mental health and reputation by not suing. Second, he was willing to attend a Zoom hearing with his true name showing, thereby effectively waiving the claim of anonymity. It could easily be concluded that he has sued under a pseudonym because he was embarrassed he was caught. (c) 2024 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc. Please tell your friends and colleagues about this blog and the videos and let them subscribe to the blog and the videos. Subscribe to my substack at https://barryzalma.substack.com/subscribe Go to X @bzalma; Go to Newsbreak.com https://www.newsbreak.com/@c/1653419?s=01; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://rumble.com/account/content?type=all; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://lnkd.in/gwEYk

To Prove Fraud a Preponderance of the evidence is Required An article For Subscribers to Excellence in Claims Handling You can Subscribe for only $5 a month to Excellence in Claims Handling at https://barryzalma.substack.com/subscribe A small portion of what was provided to subscribers.The Supreme Court, reviewing the law in other states found: “Although a few jurisdictions require that exclusions from coverage be proved by clear and convincing evidence, the burden of proving insurance policy exclusionary provisions is usually a preponderance of the evidence. Lee R. Russ & Thomas F. Segalla, 17 Couch on Insurance 254:14 (3d ed. 2003) [hereinafter Couch]; compare Rego v. Conn. Ins. Placement Facility, 593 A.2d 491, 494-95 (Conn. 1991) (following the majority of courts and commentators suggesting that insurers must prove policy defenses by a preponderance of the evidence), with Am. Family Mut. Ins. Co. v. Schley, 978 F. Supp. 870, 874-75 (E.D. Wis. 1997).” Applying the preponderance of the evidence burden to a concealment or misrepresentation defense, the Arizona Supreme Court concluded comports with sound reason and is supported by major commentators in the field. In fact, the Supreme Court pointed out that the Arizona Court of Appeals has held that the defense of arson, which by its nature may impute fraudulent representations to the insurer, must be proved only by a preponderance of the evidence.

CHUTZPAH: GET AWAY WITH MURDER AND COMPLAIN ABOUT SENTENCE Burn Husband to Death for Insurance Money & Plea to Avoid Jail Post 4942 Posted on December 10, 2024 by Barry Zalma See the full video at and at FACTS Mendy Powell Neal, who was charged with the first degree premeditated and felony murder of her husband and the aggravated arson of their home, entered a North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 37 (1970), best interest plea to voluntary manslaughter, a Class C felony, in exchange for the dismissal of the felony murder and aggravated arson counts of the presentment and an agreed range of three to four years, with the trial court to determine the length and manner of service of the sentence. At the conclusion of the sentencing hearing, the trial court denied the Defendant’s request for judicial diversion, determined that she was not a suitable candidate for probation or other alternative sentencing, and sentenced her as a Range I, standard offender to four years at 30% in the Tennessee Department of Correction. In State Of Tennessee v. Mendy Powell Neal, No. M2023-01176-CCA-R3-CD, Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, Nashville (November 26, 2024) the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the trial court. The Defendant’s husband, Matthew Neal, died in a house fire that totally consumed the couple’s Charlotte log home. The Defendant was charged with the first degree premediated murder of the victim, the first degree felony murder of the victim during the perpetration of an aggravated arson, and the aggravated arson of the home. The Defendant proceeded to a jury trial where the State presented evidence for three days establishing the crimes. The neighbor, Mr. Swan and a responding deputy, who could hear the victim moaning on the other side of the closed front door, attempted to enter the home but were unable due to the intensity of the fire. The next day, the victim’s burned body was found within ten feet of the front door. The victim was burned over 95% of his body and died of carbon monoxide toxicity and thermal injury. Autopsy showed he was drugged and couldn’t escape. Regardless of the evidence of premeditated murder the trial court found that the Defendant’s lack of a criminal history was an applicable mitigating factor and enhancement factors that the victim was particularly vulnerable because of age or physical or mental disability, that the Defendant treated or allowed the victim to be treated with exceptional cruelty during the commission of the offense, that the Defendant had no hesitation about committing the crime when the risk to human life was high, and that the Defendant abused a position of private trust that significantly facilitated the commission of the offense. The trial court found that sentencing the Defendant to the maximum length in the Tennessee Department of Correction “was the just and proper sentence due to the Defendant’s misrepresentation and dishonesty as well as the overwhelming circumstantial proof of Defendant’s conniving and forethought regarding the crime.” ANALYSIS The Court of Criminal Appeals found that there was nothing that warranted waiver of the timely notice of appeal requirement with respect to the trial court’s original sentencing determinations and the trial court acted well within its discretion in declining to reduce or modify the Defendant’s sentence. The Defendant did not show any circumstances, warranting the alteration of her sentence in the interest of justice. ZALMA OPINION It takes a massive amount of chutzpah (Yiddish for unmitigated gall) to drug your husband so he could not escape being burned to death after setting fire to the house to kill him and collect on a life insurance policy, and then, when damning evidence was presented offer a Alford plea to manslaughter. To then complain that court imposed the maximum sentence even though her agreement with the court changed the aggravated, premeditated murder that could have resulted in life in prison to manslaughter and only 4 years. (c) 2024 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc. Please tell your friends and colleagues about this blog and the videos and let them subscribe to the blog and the videos. Subscribe to my substack at https://barryzalma.substack.com/subscribe Go to X @bzalma; Go to Newsbreak.com https://www.newsbreak.com/@c/1653419?s=01; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://rumble.com/account/content?type=all; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://lnkd.in/gwEYk Sorry about the delay in posting. I’m recovering from pneumonia and spending most of the last week in bed with pills, Kleenex, coughing and sleep which I couldn’t get in the hospital. Should be act in shape next week but doctors make no promises.

UNLIKE DONALD #TRUMP... I want #Police held accountable for their #Criminal actions! Trump says he wants to make Police even more "ABOVE THE LAW" than they are now! That is insane! Police should be REQUIRED BY LAW to have an active insurance policy for general liability, to pay out the lawsuits and police misconduct claims! And those cops should also be CRIMINALLY CHARGED under federal law, Title 18 U.S.C. § 241 and 18 U.S.C. § 242 every single time they violate the rights of Americans! I have been telling people this for YEARS! I install replacement windows for a living..... My job REQUIRES me to purchase a ONE MILLION DOLLAR general liability insurance policy. Without it I can't work! I DON'T carry a gun, shoot people, taze people, bust out people's car windows, imprison people with torture cuffs, or put people into a cage while I'm at work..... I simply install windows, and MUST HAVE liability insurance! Don't you think it's beyond reasonable to ask that #Police Officers be REQUIRED BY LAW to carry a general liability insurance policy, just like I have to have, since they DO all of the things listed above! They DO carry a gun, they DO commit violence against other Americans, they DO put people into shackles, they DO damage the property of Americans, and they DO harm Americans on a regular basis Is it REALLY necessary for ME to be forced to have general liability insurance in order to "Change a window" when we have MEN IN BODY ARMOR WITH GUNS AND TASERS who don't have insurance? You see..... Police definitely DON'T WANT to be required to purchase their own insurance policy! Do you know WHY??? I'll tell you... If these Police had their own liability insurance every time that an American citizen wins a case of police brutality or misconduct, and / or wrongful death when they kill the innocent.. THEIR INSURANCE WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE LAWSUIT! And that would make their premiums go up... And when it has happened several times (Like happens with bad cops) their policy would be CANCELLED leaving them unable to ever work as a police officer again! This is something that MUST HAPPEN! We can no longer tolerate a #Criminal gang of blue line thugs who are "Above the Law" and are NEVER HELD ACCOUNTABLE! And body cameras should be MANDATORY and activated throughout the shift of ALL POLICE OFFICERS! If they turn them off it should be an automatic 25 years in prison! The body cameras and dash cameras should be LIVE-STREAMED to servers controlled by CITIZEN OVERSIGHT COMMITTEES of regular Americans (Like myself and James Freeman) and to Police headquarters, after a 5 minute delay THE AMERICAN PEOPLE should NEVER get a redacted version of the body cameras, after all, THEY ARE THE BOSS! Every body camera in America should be viewable after a 5 minute delay, it should be released for ANYONE to look at it, at any time, and for any reason... and under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should it be edited whatsoever! STOP enabling criminal behavior by Police! STOP enabling criminals to walk free among us! DEMAND POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY WITH EVERY BREATHE YOU TAKE, RIGHT UP UNTIL THE VERY LAST ONE! Because if you should fail to do this.... Your children and grandchildren will live as #Slaves and under #Tyranny https://www.minds.com/newsfeed/1651406135372025867?referrer=conservativethinking