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On January 8, 2015, Robert Napolitano, of Clifton, New Jersey was sentenced to thirty-two (32) months in prison and three years supervised release1 after pleading guilty to “charges that he defrauded the [New Jersey Turnpike Authority (“NJTA”)] out of insurance money meant to cover the cost of repairs to turnpike property,” totaling approximately $900,000.00.2

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Continue Reading New Jersey Independent Adjuster Sentenced to 32-Months in Prison for Defrauding the New Jersey Turnpike Authority

United States Senator Robert Menendez – the senior senator from New Jersey, today issued a letter seeking a full investigation into the fraudulent altering of reports by carrier friendly experts. Followers of our blog know that this has risen to the forefront of Superstorm Sandy flood litigation. Essentially, carriers and their experts are accused of conspiring to alter reports of engineers to deny coverage under the flood insurance policy.

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Continue Reading New Jersey Senator Menendez Calls for Investigation into Manipulated Expert Reports

An engineering firm has produced an alleged fraudulent report of an engineer’s opinion in a Superstorm Sandy flood lawsuit. Outcome oriented vendor firms providing outcome oriented reports is a big problem for consumers of insurance after a loss occurs. Reports can be altered and language changed which can be disastrous for insurance customers and save millions for insurers. This recent filing demonstrates that this may be ongoing with Superstorm Sandy flood lawsuits:

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Continue Reading Fraudulent Superstorm Sandy Flood Expert Reports

Regardless of whether you’re the plaintiff or defendant in an insurance dispute, fabricating or otherwise altering evidence can have some very serious consequences. Earlier this summer, the Sixth District Texas Court of Appeals issued a memorandum opinion involving two of the most severe sanctions parties can face under Texas law for such misconduct – monetary sanctions and the striking of a parties’ pleadings, also known as the “death penalty” sanction.

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Continue Reading Texas Appellate Court: Alleged Fabrication of Photographs Did Not Warrant Million Dollar and “Death Penalty” Sanctions Against Insured

One of the trickiest parts of property insurance claims is the contents portion of the claims. Even if the insured saved receipts to prove the age and cost of personal property,those receipts are often stored in the same general place as the personal property and suffer the same fate as the personal property. Accordingly, policy holders and public adjusters are often left to estimate age and costs of personal property. This often leads to a great deal of litigation between policyholders and their insurance carrier.

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Continue Reading Misrepresentation of Personal Property Claims Can Cost….BIG

On this blog, we often try to educate homeowners so they can be protected. In the past, we have urged homeowners to read their homeowner insurance policies and to ask questions if there are terms or provisions they do not understand. Well, here is another important tip: Obtain a copy of your policy from your insurance company at least once a year. Why? It is the best way to confirm that you have valid insurance coverage.

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Continue Reading Homeowners: Where is Your Copy of Your Homeowners Insurance Policy?

Steve Badger gets the 2014 Insurance Defense Attorney Macho Man Award. His works, What The Hail Is Going On In Texas?,1  and The Emerging Hail Risk: What The Hail Is Going On?,2 have envious insurance defense attorneys complaining that they have been slow to address the needed “tough guy” for the insurance industry, and others questioning if Badger is being fair to customers of the insurance industry. He also has addressed the issue in a seminar – stay tuned.

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Continue Reading Is Steve Badger’s View of Hail Damage Claims Fair and Balanced?