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
Hurricane Ida claims in Louisiana are underway. Following Hurricane Laura, a number of Louisiana public adjusters complained about many insurance companies not speaking with them and simply ignoring their own policyholder customers. All adjuster and claims managers should read and follow a February 26, 2021, Bulletin1 from Louisiana’s insurance commissioner about what is expected of them regarding good faith claims handling and working cooperatively to help Louisiana policyholders.
Continue Reading Louisiana Policyholders Deserve Good Faith Treatment – Insurance Companies Cannot Ignore Public Adjusters and Should Communicate with Policyholders
While researching Nevada insurance agency law and duties, I came across a course entitled, Ethical Issues in Insurance. Two points of the course, which seem very relevant to most claims situations, involved the trust that policyholders place with agents and then the trust they place with the companies hoping they will be fully paid when a claim is presented.
Continue Reading The Insurance Industry Teaches Ethics But Does It Follow What It Teaches?
In part one of this series, located here, I discussed the inherent contradiction that arises when insurers deny claims citing conflicting policy provisions. This follow-up is aimed at reviewing how Florida courts have dealt with this persistent issue.
Continue Reading Denying Claims Based Off Conflicting Policy Provisions Violates Florida Law: Part II
It is no secret that insurance adjusters will not hesitate to cite multiple policy provisions justifying a claim denial. I refer to this method as the “kitchen sink” approach, as it accurately describes the attempt to utilize every conceivable exclusion/condition remotely applicable in various insurance claims. It is quite common for an insured to receive a denial letter citing a laundry list of excluded causes of loss.
Continue Reading Denying Claims Based Off Conflicting Policy Provisions Violates Florida Law
I will be in Tallahassee today providing testimony regarding property insurance claims legislation. It seems that every year the Florida insurance industry makes up a crisis which calls for Florida legislators to fix. Remember how the AOB reform was promised to reduce rates and had to be passed? The legislation was passed and the insurance rates have not gone down. Why should anybody trust the insurance lobbyists? Insurance companies try to act like victims when they are making up alleged scapegoats and obscuring the reality of what they do in the claims process.
Continue Reading Zeroed Out Hurricane Claims and Cheating Claims Practices—Why Are Our Florida Politicians Ignoring These Ongoing Claims Problems and Seemingly Protecting Cheating Insurance Companies?
Have you ever read an insurance company advertisement saying that it is going to potentially treat their own customer’s insurance claim with a marring protocol or technical claims directive such as the one I published yesterday in, The Marring Protocol and Other Unfair Methods to Underpay Florida Policyholders? Of course not. Most insurance companies promise prompt, quick, easy, and fast payments with the best claims service in the industry.
Continue Reading Insurance Company Advertisements and Promises of Peace of Mind Versus the Reality of Claims Treatment
Florida policyholders are systematically ripped off because senior claims managers instruct field adjusters to underpay claims through various methods that are not fair.
Continue Reading The Marring Protocol and Other Unfair Methods to Underpay Florida Policyholders
Lexington’s insurance company President & CEO is Lou Levinson. He must really have a big ego because what he allows his company to promise regarding claims practices has nothing to do with what is delivered. I invite him and his claims vice president to show up at a claims townhall meeting anywhere in the five largest states to listen to what their customers have to go through. They can invite whomever they want, and we will invite who we want.
Continue Reading Lexington Slow-Pays Claims and Ignores Policyholders
The Citizens Property Insurance claims management provided a number of reports to the Citizens Board of Governors yesterday. For readers of this blog and policyholders who want to know what Citizens thinks of its claims handling, I suggest that you read the various reports which I have attached to this post.1
Continue Reading Is Citizens Property Insurance Giving You a Hard Time with Your Insurance Claim? Here Is Why, Based on Statistics Provided by Citizens Claims Management