It is known that the passage of Hurricane Maria through Puerto Rico in 2017, not only caused structural damage but also other damages that interrupted many public and private services for months. Many businesses had to shut down or limit their services and many had to file a claim based on business interruption coverage.
Continue Reading Business Interruption Exclusion Clauses
Wishing you a Happy Labor Day!
Lumber prices and other construction costs have skyrocketed! Some of those prices have recently dropped. When do you measure the loss that the insurance company is supposed to pay?
Continue Reading Can You Get Paid More on Your Insurance Claim When Prices Rise After a Loss?
It did not take long for part of the recent anti-policyholder legislation to be declared illegal. Last Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker heard arguments in a lawsuit filed by Gale Force Roofing and Restoration, LLC, that claims the portion of SB 76 that prevents contractors from advertising to encourage property owners to file roof-damage claims violated free speech protections. Judge Walker ruled in favor of Gale Force Roofing and issued an injunction stopping Florida officials from enforcing part of the bill.
Continue Reading Contractors and Roofers Can Advertise! Part of SB 76 Already Found Unconstitutional
Appraisal clauses, a common component of property insurance policies, set forth an alternative dispute resolution process by which the parties to an insurance contract can resolve disputes concerning the amount of a covered loss. While most property insurance policies’ appraisal clauses do not expressly set forth a time period to demand appraisal, waiver of the appraisal clause can occur if not timely invoked. Courts tasked with determining whether an appraisal clause was waived focus on whether the demand for appraisal was made within a “reasonable time.”
Continue Reading How Long Is Too Long To Demand Appraisal?
Policyholders should remain vigilant in confirming their property insurance policies are aligned with their current coverage needs – before disaster strikes. Tropical Storm Elsa will certainly not be the last bit of potentially threatening tropical activity during this year’s hurricane season. While Elsa was certainly not the strongest storm Florida has ever seen, it was another reminder of the heavy rains and winds these tropical storms and hurricanes can bring.
Continue Reading Tropical Storm Elsa Serves As Reminder To Address Any Coverage Gaps
Merlin Law Group supports the work public adjusters do for policyholders in helping them obtain justice on property insurance claims. As part of being The Policyholder’s Advocate™, our firm has developed several guides for individual states that public adjusters can reference for information on statutes and procedures.
Continue Reading Merlin Guides – Helpful State-By-State Resource for Public Adjusters
We hope everyone stays safe with Tropical Storm Elsa. As a result of the tropical storm, we will not be hosting Tuesday at 2 today. You can find helpful information on navigating tropical storm damage claims in our Hurricane Checklist. Please do not hesitate to contact our offices with any hurricane or tropical storm-related
Merlin Law Group will not be involved making the property insurance claim for the Association in the Champlain Towers case. The causes of this tragedy are still being investigated. But I am quite certain that many of our blog readers are wondering:
Is There Certain Coverage For When a Condominium Falls Down?
We will
While Florida’s political leaders have taken away policyholders’ traditional rights and protections by passing recent anti-policyholder laws, as discussed in Florida’s New Anti-Policyholder SB 76 Signed Into Law By Governor DeSantis, Louisiana has doubled down on traditional policyholder rights which are standard throughout the country by passing Louisiana Act 345 (fka HB 591).
Continue Reading “No” to Managed Repair, “Yes” to Overhead and Profit And “Yes” to Appraisal—Louisiana Takes Steps to Maintain Traditional Rights Afforded To Policyholders