The San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association is the largest and oldest Association of consumer attorneys in the San Francisco Bay area. Every year they honor a member as the Trial Lawyer of The Year, the Judge of The Year, and a New Lawyer of the Year. The Association’s past presidents include some of the best … Continue Reading
In an opinion issued yesterday, the Tennessee Supreme Court held that labor cannot be depreciated when considering actual cash value.1 Merlin Law Group participated in this victory for policyholders by writing an amicus curiae brief on behalf of United Policyholders.… Continue Reading
Can you imagine Allstate Insurance Company running an advertisement explaining that it tries to deduct labor costs as depreciable items when you make a homeowners claim? Allstate runs television ads trying to warn against “cheap” insurance but fails to disclose that it instructs its claims adjusters to cheapen its insurance product when it comes to … Continue Reading
Amy Bach is on the side of angels when it comes to fighting for policyholder rights. She is the Executive Director of United Policyholders which is the nation’s largest not for profit advocacy. She and her staff have spent considerable time in Florida educating the public and Florida lawmakers about insurance and sound public policy … Continue Reading
United Policyholders is the largest and oldest charitable organization serving the interests of policyholders. The photo above shows us with Amy Bach at Monday night’s Tee UP 2018 fundraising event for United Policyholders in San Francisco.… Continue Reading
After a disaster, United Policyholders is always a good resource to review for policyholders and family members of those with a home or business affected by the hurricane. This non-profit organization has many programs and services that may guide you in the aftermath of a storm when stress levels are high, and you have many … Continue Reading
Frequent readers of our blog know that property insurance losses center on the insurance policy. The Policy provisions are the most fundamental and are always important in a breach of contract case. Despite the importance of the policy, you would think that insurance company adjusters, independent adjusters, and the representatives working on insurance claims would … Continue Reading
As many Californians continue to repair, rebuild, and regain financial health after the disasters throughout the State, many are looking at insurance reform as a solution for the future. Insurers should provide the funds due to individuals and businesses after a disaster, but as surveys have shown, these funds don’t always flow as they should.1… Continue Reading
Chase Mathis called me on Tuesday morning as soon as my plane touched down in New Jersey to ask if he could be interviewed by a San Francisco radio station about the insurance issues those suffering from the California wildfires were facing. He explained the radio station called and wanted him to answer certain … Continue Reading
Amy Bach of United Policyholders and Paula Palozzi, Associate Director of the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Insurance Division, held a seminar at the First Party Claims Conference and called on aggrieved policyholders to file written complaints with departments of insurance. Palozzi explained that when insurance companies pay too little, a written complaint about … Continue Reading
Amy Bach of United Policyholders was honored as the Consumer Champion by the Florida Association for Insurance Reform. I was privileged to deliver the introduction for Amy as seen in the above video. Merlin Law Group has been an active and long-time financial and pro bono supporter of United Policyholders. We also applaud the efforts … Continue Reading
Truthfully, we asked Amy Bach of United Policyholders to help request an immediate extension. As the oldest and largest non-profit organization dedicated solely to advocating for policyholders, she has a lot of pull and respectful working relationships with those administrating the National Flood Program.… Continue Reading
The California Department of Insurance recently issued a press release announcing that the California Supreme Court affirmed the homeowner reimbursement protections recently decided in California Fair Plan Association v. Garnes.1 Back in June, my colleague Kevin Pollack wrote about the recent decision and whether actual cash value means fair market value or replacement cost minus … Continue Reading
When disaster strikes, stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed and unfamiliar with the process can make your property damage claim a lot worse.… Continue Reading
An April 2017 report by United Policyholders reveals the state rankings of homeowner insurance protections that impact buying insurance. The research revealed that many major insurance companies and many states withhold coverage and policy provisions from consumers during the purchase. These same companies and states also withhold payment information.… Continue Reading
One of the most terrifying and devastating perils insured against is fire. A wildfire outbreak is one news alert that can have a massive impact on our property and lives. A new research study has exposed some of the data on the insurance claim side of this catastrophe.… Continue Reading
When you have a claim for property damage under your homeowners insurance, you should not be penalized by your carrier. You should not be slapped with an increase in premium or slammed with a non-renewal notice because you had a claim and had to actually use your insurance. Professor Jay Feinman, the author of Delay, … Continue Reading
If you have spent time handling your own insurance claim or are fortunate enough to represent policyholders in claims with their insruance carriers, you know that not all insurance companies are created equally. Some treat their customers very well. Some don’t. Likewise, not all states are equal when it comes to laws that … Continue Reading
Rutgers Law Professor Jay Feinman was commissioned by United Policyholders to write a report on the issue of "matching" following property losses to residential structures. He summarized the issue of matching as following:… Continue Reading
Transparency is what FEMA officials publicly proclaim they desire regarding its Superstorm Sandy claims processes. They need to do a better job of getting that message out to their attorneys as evidenced in the post, WYO’s Want Release From Criminal Liability and WYO Attorneys Warned of Sanctions. They need to get that message out to … Continue Reading
Helping policyholders when their home or business has been damaged or destroyed can be especially heart wrenching during the holidays. Due to the way some insurance companies handle claims, some of our corporate clients cannot run their businesses or run them at max efficiency during this holiday season. Many of our homeowners with damaged or … Continue Reading
Property insurance policies cover physical damage to property. Cosmetic damage has traditionally been paid if the damage is greater than the deductible. Lately, some ingenious insurance company lawyers are wrongfully arguing that their stingy insurance company claims managers are correctly not paying for cosmetic damage.… Continue Reading
If you have been a reader of our blog, you know that we have frequently partnered with and supported a non-profit organization called United Policyholders. This organization helps policyholders after a loss and has been an incredible help to insureds after catastrophic disasters like wildfires, earthquakes, and hurricanes.… Continue Reading
Often without being aware, many policyholders could be paying more for their homeowners insurance than their neighbors, even if both properties maintain identical coverage with the same insurance carrier. How could this be true, you might ask? A recent study reports that homeowners with poor credit typically pay 91% more for homeowners’ insurance than people … Continue Reading
