What is an Appraisal?
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
Citizens Prop. Ins. Corp. v. Barberan, Fla. 2nd DCA, 2D22-2744, Apr. 3, 2024 - In April, the Second District Court of Appeal affirmed the lower court’s ruling that a statutory change, which added a definition for the term...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
Long Island is especially beautiful in late summer and early autumn. The sizzling summer heat has started to fade, the leaves on the area’s stately trees are green, and the warm water temperatures continue to attract ...more
Our December Insurance Update features four cases. The Minnesota Supreme Court decides if a resident-relative exclusion violates public policy. A Texas appellate court considers, for a second time, if damage from...more
On Friday, October 2, Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara of the California Department of Insurance (“Department”) published a Notice addressed to and making several “requests,” detailed below, of both admitted and...more
It happens all the time – a water leak in a house or other building goes unnoticed for some period of time, and then mold appears. Insurance policies generally provide coverage to repair water damage, provided other policy...more
A year ago, we wrote about a rapidly emerging area of insurance litigation in Connecticut: crumbling foundations. As a quick recap, tens of thousands of homes in northeastern Connecticut built over a span of more than 30...more
In the 8th century, people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts and ghouls. The Roman Empire gave us our tradition of bobbing for apples at Halloween. In colonial America, it took on a celebration of the...more
• The Florida Senate recently passed assignment of benefits (AOB) legislation that is expected to be signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The bill is intended to bring much needed reform to the abused and litigious practice of...more
Any good trial lawyer will tell you that the law is about telling stories. Once upon a time, Timothy and Stacy Creamer bought a house. Only after they closed did they realize that some strategically placed rugs were hiding...more
In a recent opinion, Judge Schmehl of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania denied a forced placed insurer’s Motion to Dismiss a suit brought by the assignee of a homeowner for water damage to the home. In Williams v....more
It is estimated that less than 20% of those affected by Hurricane Harvey, and a week later Hurricane Irma, had flood insurance. Home owner’s and renter’s insurance policies exclude damage caused by floods. Those affected...more
While insurance claims may be far from the first priority for clients affected by Hurricane Harvey, a new law takes effect on Sept. 1, 2017, that may affect first-party property insurance claims stemming from Harvey, floods...more
With Hurricane Harvey having pummeled much of the Texas Gulf Coast, businesses will soon look to secure insurance recoveries for the estimated billions of dollars in property damage and business income losses left in its...more
• Action Item #1: Insureds should try to report claims for all property damage, including those caused by Hurricane Harvey, by no later than August 31, 2017, in order to avail themselves of the opportunity for an 18 percent...more