The genesis for this post is a jury trial that Merlin Law Group attorneys Mike Duffy, Jon Bukowski, and Larry Bache recently won. Jon Bukowski sent me a transcript of the closing arguments with a comment about Mike Duffy’s closing being “the best.”
Continue Reading Insurance Company Lawyer Tells Jury Insurance Companies Cannot Be Expected to Know Building Codes
To round out our discussion of pertinent updates in 2021 California legislation, this post highlights Assembly Bill 2756. (In case you missed it, check out our previous blog posts on Senate Bill 872 and Assembly Bill 3012.)
Continue Reading 2021 California Legislative Update: Assembly Bill 2756
The point of this blog is to implore policyholders to buy what is commonly called code upgrade coverage – formally known as law and ordinance coverage. I was thinking about this after reading two different articles discussing very different losses in very different parts of the world.
Continue Reading The Importance of Revising Building Laws and Ordinances, Which Explains Why Law and Ordinance Coverage Law is So Important To Purchase
Ordinance and Law Coverage generates a lot of questions whenever I give a speech about the numerous building codes which impact construction. Christopher Boggs is a great insurance educator. Two chapters from his book, Wow! I Never Knew That!: 12 of the Most Misunderstood and Misused P&C Insurance Coverages, Concepts and Exclusions, provide some of the best explanations of this often misunderstood coverage. Insurance agents, property insurance adjusters, public insurance adjusters, and property insurance lawyers should have this book as a reference in their library.
Continue Reading Understanding Commercial and Residential Ordinance and Law Coverage as Explained by Christopher Boggs
I got a call this morning from a public adjuster wanting to discuss building code coverage.1 In doing some research for her, I came across an article advocating more stringent building codes: Marking 10 Years Since Katrina, Consumer Agency Calls For Stiffer Building Codes. Considering the article in connection to recent conversations I’ve had with public adjusters and general contractors, it made me wonder: do we need better building codes, or simply better enforcement of existing building codes?
Continue Reading Do We Need Better Building Codes, or Better Enforcement?
Ray Kirby of Childress Engineering spoke at the First Party Claims Conference regarding the practical and technical issues building ordinances and laws have on insurance claims. He provided me with an excellent paper, Insurance and Building Codes, which touches on some of the topics he spoke about in his presentation.
Continue Reading Building Codes and Ordinance – Practical Claims and Coverage Issues Explained
An article in the Insurance Journal, National Flood Insurance Program Set to Expire Tomorrow, caught my eye. I think the threat of expiration is political gamesmanship, as indicated in the piece:
“John Prible, government affairs for the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, says the omnibus bill funding is currently being
Dr. Steve Lyons, The Weather Channel’s Tropical Weather Expert, has admitted that he has been interested in property insurance and rates for the past fifteen years. He recently posted on the Weather Blog his opinion is that Florida’s only long term solution to high insurance rates is to mandate that building codes be enforced so