Insurance companies are hardly easy to work with, but one sure-fire way to make it harder is to hinder your own credibility and try to take advantage of technicalities in an insurance policy to enrich yourself. Janney v. CSAA1 is a prime example. Continue Reading Do Not Lose Credibility With Your Insurance Company After a Loss Occurs
The final answer to these questions was teed up before the Florida Supreme Court. After briefs and oral argument, this is what the judges said on Monday: Continue Reading Can Appraisers In Florida Be the Public Adjuster or Be Hired On a Contingent Fee?
The Louisiana Department of Insurance established a voluntary mediation program for residential claims less than $50,000 in dispute that went into effect yesterday. The bulletin announcing this program explained the historical basis for this program:
In the wake of property devastation caused in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, the Louisiana Department of Insurance (‘LOI’) issued Emergency Rule 22, which established a mandatory mediation program. The mediations conducted pursuant to Emergency Rule 22 resulted in the mediation of approximately 12,000 property damage disputes with a very high success rate. Given the success of that mediation program, the LOI is optimistic that a similar mediation program, to be known as the “Hurricane Ida Mediation Program” (the ‘Program’), could yield similar success.
Continue Reading Hurricane Ida Voluntary Mediation Program For Residential Claims
The quick answer to this post is to “hire a really good and experienced property insurance bad faith attorney and file a proper Civll Remedy Notice.” It is clearly not business as we used to do it in the first-party good faith claims practice field. What I taught just several years ago as the proper way to complete civil remedy notices (CRNs), which is a requirement for a bad Faith lawsuit, is no longer the best method to do so. Policyholders should not attempt to do this themselves. It has become extraordinarily complex. The Florida legislature has made it that way with newly enacted laws. Continue Reading What Does a Property Insurance Policyholder Have To Do To File a Bad Faith Lawsuit In Florida?
United Policyholders provides a forum to help advocate for and educate about the need for policyholder rights. As a result of United Policyholders, I and others with Merlin Law Group have been able to help support the legal rights of our current and future clients. To me, it would just seem natural that a law firm and its lawyers who say they are dedicated to the rights of policyholders would support with their time and money the activities of United Policyholders (UP). Otherwise, are you just doing it for the money? Continue Reading Lifetime Achievement Award From United Policyholders
During the First Party Claims Conference last week, New York attorney Jonathan Lerner and I discussed the new public adjuster regulations that had just come into effect in New York on October 8. The New York Department of Financial Services listed the following in a press release announcing these new regulations: Continue Reading New York Public Adjusters Have New Consumer Protections To Follow
The Rocky Mountain Public Insurance Adjuster Association (RMAPIA) will hold its Fall Meeting starting on Wednesday, November 3, in Denver. Yours truly will have two special Merlin Law Group attorneys, Larry Bache and Jon Bukowski, explaining what we see as the top property insurance claims trends throughout the Rocky Mountain states and the coverage gaps issue causing more problems for policyholders. Continue Reading Rocky Mountain Public Insurance Adjusters Meet on November 3 & 4 in Denver
The Colorado Division of Insurance (DORA) has requested comments1 on a proposed bulletin about timelines that insurance companies impose upon policyholders to complete repairs and replace damaged property. Here is the proposed bulletin:
A lawsuit by Olympus Insurance Company challenges Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation about issues of paying for property that matches following a repair. The lawsuit also challenges whether the Florida matching statute is a minimum limit of indemnity and if insurers can contract out of matching. Continue Reading Is Florida’s Matching Statute a Minimum Limit of Required Indemnity or Can Insurers Contract Out of Matching?
Whether it is referred to as a “fraudulent insurance act” or just plain “insurance fraud,” each state prohibits certain acts or omissions that it considers fraudulent. In Georgia, the legislature has enacted Ga. Code § 33-1-16, which defines what it considers to be a “fraudulent insurance act.” In addition, Ga. Code § 33-1-16 imposes varying degrees of reporting requirements on those who have knowledge of a fraudulent insurance act being committed Continue Reading Reporting Fraudulent Insurance Acts in Georgia: Is There a Requirement to Report?
