PPH Calculates Cost of Lawsuits

PPH:

[F]or all three settlements, taxpayers will pay $338,000 of the $1.2 million
that the employees receive.

[snip]

Each claim covered by insurance also requires that the city pay a deductible,
the cost of which differs depending on the type of claim. Each of the three Fire
Department employees' lawsuits triggered the payment of a $10,000 deductible.
That adds another $30,000 to the cost of the lawsuits. Big settlements also
affect the annual premium the city pays for insurance coverage. Between 2009 and
2010, the premium jumped from $188,000 to $208,000, or a $20,000 increase. In
the three years prior, the premium increased an average of about $10,000 per
year.

- John C.L. Morgan