Special Investigations Unit

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Merlin Law Group attorney Jason Cieri and I were discussing recent cases in Connecticut. There will be a Connecticut Association of Public Insurance Adjusters meeting tomorrow. One case in particular piqued my interest because a policyholder was awarded a million dollars by a jury following a fire claim where the insurer wrongfully accused the policyholder of arson.1…
Continue Reading Arson Denial Results In Policyholder Obtaining Emotional Distress Damages From Insurer’s Negligent Arson Investigation

Insurance Codes are regulated by each state, but ask any insurance company representative in any state and they will tell you it is an insurance company’s duty to place the insured’s interest ahead of the insurance company’s interests; and the proper way to handle a claim is to find coverage wherever possible.
Continue Reading Insurance Bad Faith Can Also Be Found When an Insurer Fails to Properly Investigate the Claim

I have heard that a common approach to handling claims by some insurance carriers in Florida is to send a Special Investigation Unit (“SIU”) representative out on all claims where there is a public adjuster involved. When I did insurance defense work much of my focus was on fraud investigations. We worked closely with SIU for various insurance carriers in that regard. If SIU was involved, it typically meant that the insurance carrier felt there was something suspicious about the loss. Sometimes that investigation focused on certain players in certain types of losses and how they all came together and why they were being seen in certain scenarios repeatedly. However, at a recent Florida Association of Public Insurance Adjusters Conference, several public adjusters were discussing how they regularly see SIU involved in typical day-to-day water loss claims for residential properties, and that they are told SIU is there because the policyholder hired a public adjuster. Do the insurance carriers that employ this tactic think that public adjuster involvement in claims is suspicious?…

Continue Reading Is Someone From Special Investigation Unit (“SIU”) At My Door Just Because I Have A Public Adjuster?

Richard Schwartz, a former fire cause and origin investigator, recently shared some of his insight into how insurance carriers evaluate fire losses and the evolution special investigative units have had in the claim process. Richard has vast experience, with more than nineteen years as an insurance company consultant and expert witness.…

Continue Reading Former Fire Loss Investigator Explains Why He Now Helps Policyholders

An insurance company adjuster’s request for invoices of personal property items can be a trap for otherwise honest policyholders. I have been thinking about this topic as a result of Corey Harris‘ post, Notifying the Police in the Case of a Theft Loss, and the weekly highlighted fraud case in Claims Magazine, "Fraud of the Week: Suit Yourself." The basic rule for policyholders to remember is that you are under no obligation to give an insurance company what you do not have and never make up a document because the insurance adjuster says you need it to get paid. For policyholder counsel and public adjusters, protect your client and make certain they are not doing this.…

Continue Reading Invoices: A Practice Tip for Policyholder Counsel and Public Insurance Adjusters — A Warning to Otherwise Honest Policyholders

(*Chip Merlin’s Note—Sandy Burnette is a prominent insurance defense attorney with exceptional experience in cases where insurance fraud or arson are suspected. I have known Sandy for 27 years. As you can see from his rhetoric, he is a fierce defender for those engaged in the fight against insurance fraud. Keeping with my Fair and Balanced blog, I invited Sandy to compose a guest post reflecting his views and experience.)

Well, seeing my name mentioned in your recent blog on insurance fraud was certainly enough to capture my attention, but the content of your remarks compels me to respond. Nobody who knows the two of us will be surprised to see we disagree, but in this instance you are simply wrong, Chip.…

Continue Reading Sandy Burnette Defends Insurance Fraud Fighters