What is an Appraisal?
In December 2020, Plaintiff Erin Hughes applied for homeowners coverage for her Malibu home with her Farmers’ insurance agent. Hughes obtained a fire policy through the California FAIR Plan and a homeowners policy through...more
Property Insurance/Replacement Cost - Homeowners Did Not Substantially Meet Policy’s Condition Precedent to Recover Replacement Cost Value - Insurer Did Not Waive Conditions - Henderson v. State Farm Fire and...more
There are many things to consider when buying a home in New York. A few of these considerations, in determining if homeownership is right for you, are the prices of the homes and the current interest rates. You will also...more
The Situation: On September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall and left a path of destruction from the Florida coast through North Carolina, with total insured losses estimated in the tens of billions of dollars....more
As interest rates drop, the CFPB is exploring ways to streamline mortgage rules to make the refinancing process easier and closing costs less expensive, Director Rohit Chopra said at a housing conference sponsored by the...more
When dealing with insurance companies, one expects a straightforward process—pay your premiums, and when misfortune strikes, your insurer covers the costs as promised. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case....more
Florida Farm Bureau General Insurance Company v. Linda Williams, 5D23-0183 (Fla. 5th DCA, Apr. 9, 2024) - In this case, Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals addresses proper application of a hurricane deductible. The...more
Sanchez v. Security First Insurance Co., No. 3D22-1109 (Fla. 3d DCA Mar. 6, 2024) - In March, the Third District Court of Appeals affirmed dismissal of a complaint for its failure to comply with Florida Statute § 627.70152....more
A new Florida appellate decision may dramatically affect recovery in homeowner property insurance lawsuits. In Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company v. Qureshi, No. 4D2023-1338 (Fla. 4th DCA, July 24, 2024), a...more
The recent decision of Marcantel v. State Farm Fire, No. 2:22-CV-01511, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 111077 (W.D. La. June 24, 2024) offers valuable lessons for policyholders regarding the importance of cooperation in the insurance...more
The vacation rental industry claims over two million properties throughout the United States. According to the Miliken Institute, California had 128,000 short-term vacation rental listings in 2022. The Big Bear region in...more
Over the past five plus years, the Missouri legislature has continued to grant insurer’s new rights and protections. This includes requirements for time-limited demands, interpleader protections and the ability to intervene...more
Affordability and availability of homeowners insurance in Louisiana was top of mind for lawmakers in the 2024 regular legislative session, and several bills have crossed the finish line, recently signed into law by Gov. Jeff...more
On April 11, California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Court of the State of California arguing that policyholders should be able to assert claims under the state’s Unfair Competition...more
The Third District Court of Appeals of Florida is the latest to join the growing number of Florida appellate courts that have ruled that the pre-suit notice provision of section 627.70152 is procedural in nature and, as such,...more
Many private collectors think that they don’t need an additional fine art insurance policy because they assume that their homeowner’s insurance policy will cover damage to their fine art. This is a critical error,...more
As wildfires continue to grow in frequency and scale across California, and as the state’s homeowner’s insurance crisis continues to worsen, the California Department of Insurance (DOI) has issued a proposed regulation that,...more
A federal court recently held that an insurer could not deny coverage under a homeowner’s policy based upon the failure of the named insured’s son, an “insured person,” to submit to an examination under oath (“EUO”). In...more
In Berardi v. FMI Insurance Co., a panel of New Jersey’s Superior Court, Appellate Decision, affirmed a lower court’s ruling, which ordered a primary home insurer to defend its insured in a dog bite lawsuit, stemming from...more
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals declared that an insurer’s homeowners policy all-terrain vehicle exclusion barred coverage for a Utah insured’s injuries that did not occur at the “insured location.”...more
We wrote the other day about the trial of a Michigan mother charged with involuntary manslaughter for not taking steps to prevent her son from acquiring a gun and taking it to his school where he killed four people. Yesterday...more
It is long-standing law in Florida (and elsewhere) that an insurer can deny a claim when it was prejudiced by a policyholder’s failure to provide timely notice. However, there has been some debate in recent years about whose...more
In Helguera v. Mid-Century Insurance Co., California’s Fourth District Court of Appeal held that an intentional acts exclusion in the liability coverage part of a homeowners insurance policy issued by Mid-Century Insurance...more
New York’s Highest Court Holds That Portion Of Premium Need Not Be Refunded For Death During Policy Period Of Universal Life Policy- The Joan C. Lupe Family Trust purchased a policy under which Lincoln Life and Annuity...more
A federal court recently held that an insurer may deny coverage under a homeowner’s policy for a “residence premises” when the insured never actually lived at the premises. In Sina Davani v. Travelers Personal Insurance...more