In a recent unpublished Appellate Division case in New Jersey,1 AIG was held not responsible for a wig and beauty distributor’s business loss claim. Beauty Plus, a wholesale distributor of human hair wigs and other beauty products had a shipment of 487 cartons of human hair wigs stolen from their Moonachie, New Jersey, warehouse back in December of 2014. Continue Reading
Idaho is a state with a diverse weather, and property owners have risks all year long. Adequate insurance coverage should be considered by all property owners. Some of the natural disaster risks in Idaho are wildfires, snowstorms, flooding, and earthquakes. Continue Reading
2017 wasn’t the best year for Houston Texas. Due to the unprecedented rain fall that occurred during Hurricane Harvey, the Barker Reservoir and the Addicks Reservoir—both located off of Highway 6 in Houston—quickly filled to their maximum capacity. In an effort to protect the greater Houston area from experiencing even worse flood inundation, the US Army Corps of Engineers—the federal government entity responsible for management of the reservoirs—intentionally released the flood gates on the reservoirs, causing severe flood inundation to thousands of homes and businesses that had never flooded, were not in a flood zone, and had no reason to expect that level of damage. Continue Reading
Victor Jacobellis
Merlin Law Group has a new experienced California Insurance attorney, Victor Jacobellis, who is very busy fighting insurance companies like Farmers. Farmers has familiar advertisements showing cute situations where it pays claims. To be honest, it should also advertise and warn its customers how often it denies claims, how its polices are different than other companies who afford greater coverage, and that it often fights with its own customers. Continue Reading
For the past few days, it’s been raining cats and dogs in New Jersey. Being stuck inside, I was scrolling through my social media feed and came across a video of multiple new cars being washed down what appeared to be a river from a car dealership. This led to a lively discussion on my reposting of the video as to whether the insurance company would pay for the loss of vehicles, which of course got me thinking, would this be a covered loss? What types of policies do car dealerships typically have? Continue Reading
Representing licensed public insurance adjusters operating in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, the Rocky Mountain Association of Public Insurance Adjusters celebrates its fifth year in 2018. In just two short weeks, RMAPIA is holding its annual Fall Meeting and Seminar on August 24th in Denver at the Hilton Garden Inn Cherry Creek. Continue Reading
Federal courts are courts of limited jurisdiction, possessing only that power authorized by Article III of the United States Constitution and statutes enacted by Congress. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1332, federal district courts “have original jurisdiction of all civil actions where the matter in controversy exceeds the sum or value of $75,000 … and is between … citizens of different States.” Whereas the Constitution contemplates minimal diversity, § 1332 requires complete diversity—no plaintiff may be a citizen of the same state as any defendant.1 For purposes of diversity jurisdiction, a corporation is a citizen of both the state where it is incorporated and the state where its “nerve center” (typically its headquarters) is located.2 Continue Reading
Nearly every homeowner’s insurance policy issued in Florida provides a mechanism for resolving disputes between the insured and their carrier as to the amount of a loss: Appraisal. Continue Reading
Florida’s Federal Middle District believes it can.1 After Hurricane Irma struck its commercial building in Port Charlotte, Florida, building owners Etcetera, Etc, Inc., filed an insurance claim under their policy with Evanston Insurance Company (“Evanston”). Evanston began its investigation, and as that was underway Charlotte County also inspected the building and issued a “Notice of Unsafe Building” stating the building “was in danger of collapse.” Continue Reading
Policyholders need insurance laws which protect them if their insurance company delays, denies or wrongfully adjusts their claim. Attorneys have long recognized that insurance law is a specialized niche area of the law with strange nuances. Attorneys not dedicated to this field of law may fail to appreciate or may even miss small but important details when representing a client with Insurance problems. A case in Pennsylvania is a case in point. Continue Reading
