Most homeowner policies in Florida are “all risk” policies, which means the peril that caused the damage is covered unless specifically excluded in the policy….
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Donna DeVaney
Butler Pappas–A Familiar Foe
By Chip Merlin on
Posted in Insurance
Paul Butler was my first legal mentor. John Pappas was a classmate of mine at the University of Florida School of Law, and the best man in my wedding. They have built a hundred attorney law firm representing solely insurance companies. We have cases against them all the time. As they are physically located several floors below us in the same office building, and both David Pettinato and I worked at the firm in different eras, we have a pretty good idea of what our familiar foes are about.…
Surplus Lines Insurers, Sinkholes, and the Law of Mars
By Chip Merlin on
Surplus lines insurance companies are a different breed of insurance cat. They are not admitted carriers in the state in which they do business. Thus, most states have consumer protection laws specifically regarding how surplus lines insurance carriers can do business.
Surplus lines carriers are very important to the insurance marketplace. They will often insure the risks many admitted carriers find too risky or novel. For example, when a property owner buys surplus flood insurance or a complex Difference in Conditions policy, it is often sold through the surplus lines market.…
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