The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday that it will delay implementati
on of updates to the U.S. government’s New Car Assessment Program finalized in December after a request by automakers.
The agency last year said it was adding blind spot warning, blind spot intervention, lane-keeping assist and pedestrian automatic emergency braking and upda
ting its automatic emergency braking requirements effective in the 2026 model year that starts this month.
NHTSA said it was delaying requirements until the 2027 model year after a group representing nearly all major
automakers in April said the agency had failed to publish test procedures for evaluating crashworthiness pedestrian protection.
A federal judge agreed to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a 92-year-old Miami homeowner claiming
that a state-run arbitration agency deprives policyholders of their
constitutional rights when reviewing claims disputes against Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
“The dismissal is effective immediately upon the filing of a written notice of dismissal, and no subsequent co
urt order is required,” reads the notice of dismissal, filed by attorney Michael Citron on Friday.
A reason for the dismissal was not given. The judge dismissed the suit without prejudice, meaning it can be filed again at a later date.
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Citron’s client, Stainton Williams, sued Citizens in July, after the state-created Citizens moved to send claims disput
es to the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings, also known as DOAH. Having a state agency review claims di
sputes deprives insureds of their right to a neutral court and does not r
equire administrative law judges to disclose conflicts of interest, the suit alleged.
Citizens in 2022, during the worst of the claims litigation escalation in Florida, acted to introduce endorsements in p
olicies that allowed the insurer or the insured to have claims disputes
eard at DOAH. While Citizens officials have said the move has sped up r
esolution time and has reduced legal fees, a few policyholders took issue.