What is an Appraisal?
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
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
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
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
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
Chabad of Key Biscayne, Inc. v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., No. 22-13603 (11th Cir. 2023) - Chabad filed a claim for water damage after a drain or sewer pipe broke. The insurer denied the claim under the general water damage...more
We all love to focus on the extravagant lives of celebrities, but how about the mundane aspects of their lives, like insurance? It might surprise you that many well-known people have used their homeowners insurance policies...more
In a decision that continues to fuel the dispute between the plaintiff and defense bar, Florida’s Fourth District Court found that the presuit notice provision of section 627.70152 is procedural in nature and, as such,...more
In Dorchester Mutual Insurance Co. v. Miville, the Supreme Court of Massachusetts discussed the basis for its reversal of the Superior Court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Dorchester Mutual based on its...more
In Adirondack Insurance Exchange v. Banagos, the Eastern District of New York held that an insurer is not required to send a disclaimer letter where a loss does not fall within the scope of the insuring agreement and...more
Although the 2018 Farm Bill carved out hemp from the federal Controlled Substances Act, few court rulings have addressed the legal distinction between federally-legal hemp and federally-illegal cannabis. A new opinion from...more
The Court of Appeals of Georgia recently held that an insurer’s reliance on the report of an independent consultant creates a presumption that it did not act in bad faith in denying coverage. In Montgomery v. Travelers Home...more
As the Florida Legislature and Florida courts continue to grapple with the issue of assignments of benefits in property claims, the Fourth District Court of Appeal recently weighed in on a matter involving the validity of a...more
A Florida court recently held that rust and corrosion of water pipes is an “act of nature,” and, thus, was excluded from coverage under a homeowner’s insurance policy. In Dodge v. People’s Trust Insurance Company, 2021 WL...more
On March 26, 2021, the Fourth District issued a ruling in the matter of Jennifer Mezadieu v. Safepoint Insurance Company, which critically cemented the principle that ‘intentionality’ on the part of an insured is not a...more
An issue that often arises when an insurer is determining whether a policy provides coverage for bodily injury or property damage under a liability policy is the number of occurrences that may be triggered under the policy. ...more
As Winter Storm Uri swept across Texas over President's Day weekend, the temperature hit record lows and dumped snow in areas that have rarely seen snow before. Millions of people experienced several days of power outages and...more
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
Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal recently issued a decision that serves as a reminder not to take for granted a proposition that most practicing attorneys regularly encounter: a motion for summary judgment must be...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
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
Many homeowners insurance policies allow the insurer or the insured to invoke appraisal to resolve disagreements about the amount of the loss. Nonetheless, when one party invokes appraisal, the other party will sometimes...more