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Insurance Litigation Property Damage Appraisal

Cozen O'Connor

When the Appraisal Says One Thing, But the Policy Says Another: A Florida Insurance Case Study

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In a recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Wood v. GeoVera Specialty Insurance Company (2024 WL 3952571), the court affirmed that unambiguous policy limits remain enforceable even when...more

Marshall Dennehey

Appraisal Was Premature Because an Evidentiary Hearing Was First Required to Determine Whether the Policyholder Satisfied the...

Marshall Dennehey on

Heritage Property & Casualty Ins. Co., Appellant v. Sunset Villas Phase III Condominium Association, Inc., Appellee, Fla. 3rd DCA, 3D23-1672, May 15, 2024, Appeal from non-final order from Miami-Dade Co. Lower Tribunal No....more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

Carrier’s Proof of Loss Form May Be a Mandatory Post-Loss Obligation in Commercial Claims

​​​​​​​Submitting a proof of loss using a carrier’s approved proof of loss form may be a mandatory post-loss obligation when invoking appraisal in commercial claims. The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida...more

Marshall Dennehey

Florida Supreme Court Rules Appraisal Can Be Compelled Even If Coverage Issues Remain

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Am. Coastal Ins. Co. v. San Marco Villas Condo. Ass’n, Inc., SC2021-0883, 2024 WL 369079 (Fla. 2024) - The defendant, San Marco, filed a property claim with its insurer, American Coastal, for damage sustained to its property...more

Marshall Dennehey

Florida Supreme Court: Trial Courts May Compel Appraisal Before Resolving Concurrent Coverage Disputes

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On February 1, 2024, the Supreme Court of Florida issued its opinion in American Coastal Ins. Co. v. San Marco Villas Condominium Ass’n, Inc., 2024 WL 369079 (Fla. 2024), to address a persisting conflict on the timing of...more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

Putting the Cart Before the Horse: The New Florida Appraisal Landscape

As a dispute-resolution mechanism, appraisal can be an effective means of resolving a valuation dispute between an insurer and its policyholder. Appraisal provisions may include language that allows an insurer to deny a claim...more

Cozen O'Connor

Southern District of Texas Holds that Appraisal Award is Inconclusive of Whether a Loss is Covered

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The Southern District of Texas recently held that an appraisal award did not establish liability for a covered loss under the policy. In Hoff v. Meridian Sec. Ins. Co., 2023 WL 5192013 (S.D. Tex. Aug. 11, 2023), Meridian...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

New York Insurance Coverage Law Update - July 27, 2023

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Southern District Holds That Contractor’s Carrier Has Duty To Defend ConEd Even Though Contractor’s Work Ended Months Before The Accident-A pedestrian tripped and fell on a Bronx sidewalk, and she sued the owner of the...more

Zelle  LLP

Conn. Ruling Widens Scope Of Property Insurance Appraisals

Zelle LLP on

Property insurance policies commonly provide for an appraisal process to resolve disputes over the amount of loss. But as industry professionals know all too well, the meaning of "amount of loss" is often disputed, and courts...more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

The Continued Question Of Disinterested Appraisers For Florida Appraisals

In most circumstances involving an insurer’s extension of coverage for a property loss, an appraisal provision in an insurance policy provides an insured and an insurer a mechanism by which to resolve disagreements regarding...more

Cozen O'Connor

Policyholder Permitted to Videotape Appraisal

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In Silversmith v State Farm Insurance Company, 2021 W.L. 2910240 (Fla. 4th DCA July 7, 2021), Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that policyholders may openly videotape an inspection by the insurance company...more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

Lights, Camera, Action: Florida Court Rules Insured Can Record Appraisal Inspection

On July 7, 2021, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal ruled that an insured may electronically record an insurer’s appraiser during an inspection of the insured’s property....more

Cozen O'Connor

Appraisal Process Tolls Contractual Suit Limitation Period Even For Non-Covered Claims

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The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that, under Georgia law, an appraisal process tolled a commercial property policy’s two-year contractual suit limitation period even for non-covered claims....more

Cozen O'Connor

The Supreme Court of Texas Finds that a Reasonable Payment of an Insurance Claim Does Not Satisfy the Texas Prompt Payment of...

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In Hinojos v. State Farm Lloyds, the Supreme Court of Texas addressed liability under the Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act (the “TPPCA”) when an insurer timely pays only part of a claim....more

Rumberger | Kirk

Florida’s 3rd DCA Analyzes Whether a Public Adjuster Who Receives Contingency Fee can Act as a “Disinterested” Appraiser

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Is it possible for a public adjuster to be considered disinterested in the outcome of a case, yet get paid based on the outcome of that same case? Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal says yes, for now! ...more

Carlton Fields

Florida Court Determines Insurer Did Not Waive Right to Appraisal in Hurricane Irma Claim Brought by Homeowners

Carlton Fields on

Various homeowner’s insurance policies contain an appraisal clause that a carrier or insured may invoke in situations where there is a dispute in damages between the parties. ...more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

A Brief Refresher On Appraisal In North Carolina, South Carolina, And Georgia

Most first party property coverage policies contain an appraisal provision that allows either the insured or the insurer to make a written demand for appraisal when the parties agree that covered property was damaged by a...more

Rumberger | Kirk

Florida's 5th DCA Allows Carrier to Compel Appraisal When Covered Loss Is Under Deductible

Rumberger | Kirk on

No payment? No problem ruled Florida’s 5th District Court of Appeal a few weeks ago in a homeowner’s insurance case where the carrier found partial coverage for the alleged loss, but did not issue payment because the amount...more

Cozen O'Connor

Failure of Insured to Provide Requested Documents Triggers Appraisal Under First Party Insurance Policy

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Those familiar with first party insurance policies have undoubtedly encountered a recurring issue with the interpretation of appraisal provisions – what does it mean to disagree on the amount of loss?  ...more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

The Evolving Limitations on Appraisers in Florida: Analyzing State Farm Florida Ins. Co. v. Sanders

Appraisers are frequently involved in Florida property claims. Accordingly, Florida courts continue to refine the roles and limitations with respect to appraisers and the appraisal process as a whole. ...more

Butler Weihmuller Katz Craig LLP

What Baseball Has Taught Me About The Insurance Appraisal Process

Anyone who has ever watched baseball knows that umpires sometimes make an incorrect call. In appraisal of a property insurance claim, sometimes the umpire can make a mistake as well....more

Cozen O'Connor

Eleventh Circuit Holds Attorneys’ Fees Are Not Warranted Where Policyholder Filed Suit Instead of Undergoing Appraisal

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The Eleventh Circuit, in J.P.F.D. Investment Corp. v. United Specialty Insurance Co., recently affirmed a district court’s denial of statutory attorneys’ fees to a policyholder that, to resolve a disagreement over the amount...more

Cozen O'Connor

Can Insurance Appraisers Favor and Advocate For The Party That Selected Them?

Cozen O'Connor on

This is a question the Colorado Supreme Court is set to resolve after recently granting Owners Insurance Company’s petition for writ of certiorari in Owners Insurance Company v. Dakota Station II Condominium Association,...more

Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP

Appraiser Declarations Inadmissible When Offered to Challenge the Merits of an Appraisal Award

In Khorsand v. Liberty Mutual Fire Ins. Co. (No. B280273, filed 2/27/18), a California appeals court affirmed an appraisal award favorable to a homeowners insurer, ruling that it was improper to admit as evidence in...more

Carlton Fields

New York Court Upholds Suit Limitation Period, Ruling Appraisal is Not a Condition Precedent to Filing Suit

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Courts will generally uphold reasonable suit limitation periods in property insurance policies, if the insurer does not affirmatively waive or extend them. In MZM Real Estate Corp. v. Tower Ins. Co. of New York, No....more

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