In the case Biasatti v. GuideOne National Ins. Co., No. 07-17-00044-CV (Tex. Ct.App. Aug. 16, 2018), Steven Biasatti and Paul Gross, d/b/a TopDog Properties, brought suit against its insurance company, GuideOne National Insurance Company for breach of contract.… Continue Reading
The appraisal alternative dispute resolution procedure in most first-party property insurance policies in Florida is a valuable process for insureds. In our experience at Merlin Law Group, few states in the country have a greater need for an understandable, enforceable appraisal process than Florida. Since at least Hurricane Andrew in 1992, policyholders and insurers have … Continue Reading
House Bill 911, effective January 1, 2018, was filed by Representative Sean Shaw and enacted by the Florida Legislature to amend Fla. Stat. § 626.854, which protects policyholders through the regulation of public adjusters. Chip Merlin discussed this new law in detail in his post on July 2, 2017. In requiring public adjusters to be … Continue Reading
On June 12, 2018, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance of Puerto Rico (OCI) issued Ruling Letter No. CN-2018-241-D, Appraisal Procedures for Insurance Claims for Commercial Property Related to Catastrophic Events.… 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 … Continue Reading
A Missouri Court of Appeals recently held that an appraiser may advocate for the party that appointed the appraiser as long as the appraiser has no financial interest in the outcome of the appraisal.… Continue Reading
Nebraska appraisals are virtually non-existent. The Supreme Court of Nebraska equated an appraisal clause to an arbitration clause, as both serve to “oust” courts of their jurisdiction, and therefore unenforceable.1… Continue Reading
I often take calls from potential clients and public adjusters frustrated with an insurance company that has denied, delayed and then underpaid a claim and then ultimately invoked appraisal. Often the insured or public adjuster states that multiple inspections have taken place with substantial correspondence between the parties and the question is, “can the insurance … Continue Reading
It is no secret that there are problems with the appraisal process. The ever-growing issues with appraisal include, but certainly are not limited to, exorbitant expenses pushed onto policyholders and insurance companies, gamesmanship, and the never-ending questions of: When is appraisal appropriate What can be addressed and assessed within appraisal, and Whether a policyholder’s claims … Continue Reading
The Iowa Supreme Court determined that “appraisers may determine the factual cause of damage to insured property to ascertain the amount of loss,” in Walnut Creek Townhome Association vs Depositors Insurance Company.1 I am proud that Ashley Smith (nka Ashley Harris) was cited by the court for her analysis of the issue.… Continue Reading
I often hear from insureds that have been negotiating with their insurance company for a period of time when the insurer suddenly demands appraisal. The insureds do not want to go to appraisal and the first question is always, “Can the insurance company do that?” followed by “This claim has been going on for months, … Continue Reading
Last year in one of my blogposts, I wrote about Windridge of Naperville Condominium Association v. Philadelphia Indemnity Insurance Company, and the issue whether appraisal is appropriate to resolve a dispute over the cost of repairing physically undamaged siding of townhome buildings to remedy a mismatch with repaired damaged siding. There, a federal district court … Continue Reading
The majority of insurance policyholders do not realize that their property insurance policy may contain an appraisal provision. Insurance companies attempt to use appraisal provisions to impose unnecessary burdens on insureds and to eliminate the insureds potential to file a lawsuit against the insurance company and its adjusters for violations of the Texas Insurance Code, … Continue Reading
On April 18, 2018, the Texas Commissioner of Insurance issued Order No. 2018-5463, extending the deadline for a Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) policyholder to demand appraisal on their Hurricane Harvey claim. Harvey made landfall in Texas and affected several parts of the Greater Houston area as well as several coastal areas from August 25 … Continue Reading
American politics and government can make people extraordinarily upset. The very nature of democracy, modern regulation, those being regulated and those regulating promotes active and emotional disagreements of what is the best public policy and how it should be determined. So, my first observation from yesterday’s post, Colorado House Bill 18-1153 Concerning Appraisals for Insurance … Continue Reading
Note: This guest blog is by Scott deLuise. Scott deLuise has been a public adjuster in Colorado since 1985, and licensed since Colorado implemented licensing. He is licensed in 28 states and Puerto Rico. He is a past president of NAPIA, and founding president of RMAPIA. Monday before last was a sad day for the … Continue Reading
Appraisal provisions in property insurance policies typically provide for a judge of a court of record in the state in which the insured property is located to select an umpire if the parties cannot agree upon one. What happens if one party fails to respond to the appraisal demand? Can a judge select an umpire … Continue Reading
2017 brought with it three major hurricanes causing widespread flooding to thousands of homeowners and business owners. Those policyholders with a flood insurance policy through the National Flood Insurance Program (“NFIP”) might consider invoking the flood policy’s appraisal provision.… Continue Reading
Following a loss, the issue of replacement with “like kind and quality” often arises whether it be with the replacement of personal property or building materials. The phrase “like kind and quality” is typically not defined in an insurance policy, so whether construction is of “like kind and quality” can easily become a dispute. But … Continue Reading
Insurance carriers and policyholders have historically enjoyed the benefits of the appraisal provision included in most property insurance policies. Appraisal tends to be less expensive, time-consuming, and formal compared to traditional litigation. Unfortunately, appraisal is not an option for policyholders in Puerto Rico.… Continue Reading
In theory, the appraisal process is intended to provide an efficient means of determining the cost to repair or replace damaged property. It is also intended to have a degree of finality – once the appraisal panel determines the amount of damages, the damages are typically fixed at that amount.… Continue Reading
The Law and Procedure of Insurance Appraisal is a fantastic work by Jonathan Wilkofsky. It is in its third edition and 1,400 pages explaining in full everything a property insurance practitioner would want to know about the topic. Here is a video of Jonathan describing the benefits of his treatise:… Continue Reading
Policyholders purchase property insurance and pay lofty premiums with the intention of their insured property being restored to where it was prior to a loss. But what happens when the loss affects only a portion of the siding or has destroyed only a handful of discontinued roofing tiles? Is the policyholder forced to accept mismatching … Continue Reading
