In a Puerto Rico Hurricane Michael case involving a Zurich Insurance Company providing a policy to a Louisiana policyholder, an alleged delayed payment resulted in attorneys for Zurich arguing that they could delay owed payments for various excuses. The first issue was what a proof of loss meant under Louisiana law. Continue Reading Proof Of Loss is Different Under Louisiana Law—Should You Be Insured by a Slow and Underpaying Insurance Company?

Lucas H. Morehouse has joined Merlin Law Group’s New Orleans office. Morehouse is a native of Louisiana and originally from New Orleans. He received his undergraduate degree from Louisiana State University, where he double-majored in History and Political Science. Then, he stayed in Baton Rouge and received his Law Degree from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University. Lucas is a proud Louisiana Tigers fan. Continue Reading Louisiana Attorney Lucas Morehouse Joins Merlin Law Group

Last week, I blogged about how California’s Department of Insurance issued a one-year moratorium to insurance companies to stop their practice of non-renewing and cancelling homeowner’s insurance coverage for policyholders living near major wildfires.1 But what if your carrier sent you a cancellation just prior to the moratorium – does the moratorium apply retroactively to restore your coverage? Continue Reading Is California’s Moratorium on Insurance Policy Non-Renewals or Cancellations Retroactive?

In 2016, State Farm came out with a new appraisal provision for its homeowner insurance policy.1 This new provision makes the appraisal process extremely burdensome for policyholders. While I have always felt the new provision violates the Standard Fire Policy, a Michigan federal district court recently reached the same conclusion. Continue Reading State Farm’s Appraisal Provision Violates the Standard Fire Policy

Louisiana policyholders have suffered through their share of destructive storms, hurricanes, and floods over the past five years. Many of these policyholders need the services of quality restoration contractors and great public insurance adjusters. Recently, Hurricane Ida has led to a number of public adjusters asking for advice about doing work in Louisiana. I tell public adjusters “do not do business as usual and do not have a contingent agreement. Continue Reading Louisiana Public Adjusters Should Not Have Any Form of a Contingent Agreement

A number of insurance law treatises are relied upon to provide guidance to lawyers and judges regarding the general state of insurance law. One of those is Couch on Insurance (Couch) published by Thomson Reuters. Merlin Law Group subscribes to a number of services providing treatise information on insurance law, including Couch in our Westlaw subscription. This service and information is not cheap. Thomson Reuters publishes a onetime purchase of the treatise for $18, 493.00. The Internet advertisement for Couch states: Continue Reading Can Judges Trust the Couch Insurance Law Treatise When It Comes To Physical Loss or Damage Analysis?

Minnesota regulates its insurance industry through the state’s Commerce Department (MCD). One of the purposes of the MCD is to investigate consumer complaints to ensure that insurance companies, agents, and adjusters are complying with all state laws and regulations. If you think that your insurance claim or policy has been delayed, wrongfully denied, or deliberately underpaid, you can file a complaint with the MCD. Continue Reading How to File an Insurance Complaint with the Minnesota Commerce Department

Many of us appreciate misdirection, deception, and technical play on words in brainteasers and riddles. The same is not usually the case when an insurer is explaining your legal rights following a devastating loss. While this blog showcases California claims, laws, and regulations, the principle for policyholders and policyholder advocates applies across the country – it pays to know your insurance claim rights. Continue Reading Don’t Believe Everything You Read on the Internet – or Even in Your Claim Letter