Isn’t it great when people work collaboratively on a noble cause and grand success happens? 

Merlin Law Group attorneys Drew Houghton from Oklahoma and Dan Ballard from Redbank, New Jersey, worked with policyholder attorney Jason Liss from Michigan to obtain a significant ruling yesterday in the Southern District of New York.1

Continue Reading Blockbuster New York Appraisal Decision Impacts Causation and Period of Restoration Determinations

In a recent decision by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, a federal judge issued an order denying the property owner’s request for appraisal, holding that the insurance policy’s appraisal provision is “limited to disputes over valuation, not causation or coverage.”1
Continue Reading Wisconsin Federal Court Limits Appraisal to Valuation Only

Merlin Law Group attorneys Chris Mammel and Tamara Chen-See won an appraisal case pending before the 10th Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.1 The court ruled that the factual determination of damage to brick siding caused by a hailstorm is a factual matter for appraisal and not a coverage issue. The ruling was similar to the recent Connecticut Supreme Court holding involving matching noted in Matching is a Factual Determination and Can Be Resolved by Appraisal.
Continue Reading Insurers Cannot Escape Appraisal Arguing Factual Determinations of Damage Create Coverage Issues

Causation can be determined by an appraisal panel in Minnesota. The controversy involved a hailstorm where the insurance company denied that any damage was caused by the hailstorm. The insurance company refused to go to appraisal and filed a lawsuit seeking a declaration of no coverage. The policyholder countersued seeking the court to compel appraisal to determine the amount of damage caused by the hailstorm.
Continue Reading Causation Can Be Determined in Minnesota Appraisals

Who has the burden of proof in a typical all-risk insurance policy which is now often referred to as an “open perils” policy? What does a policyholder typically have to prove to make a claim for property damage? These are fairly basic questions with answers that can become confusing when the burdens switch.
Continue Reading Who Has the Burden to Prove the Cause of Property Damage? Those Burdens of Proof Can Switch!

Hurricane Sally appears headed to the Mississippi Sound and Louisiana. Adjusters already working Hurricane Laura claims will be shifting efforts to Hurricane Sally. While there is legal authority suggesting that causation can be determined in Louisiana appraisals,1 Mississippi has long held that causation issues will not be allowed in appraisal and that a lawsuit will have to determine those issues.2
Continue Reading Mississippi Does Not Allow Causation to Be Determined In Appraisal