In these tough economic times, many businesses are looking to cut expenses and trim their budgets. While it is tempting to reduce insurance coverage to minimize operating costs, business owners should not skimp on insurance protection to trim budgets....… Continue Reading
I represented a Houston based hotel management company last spring regarding Hurricane Ike insurance claim disputes with eleven hotels they owned or managed in Texas. Some cases simply go right, and this one settled after two months. My client’s owners went out of their way to call to my attention that managers in the hospitality … Continue Reading
In general, business interruption coverage is supposed to provide the capital needed to sustain a business while its operations are suspended as a result of damage caused by a covered peril....… Continue Reading
A recent Louisiana decision, Isidore Newman School v. J. Everett Eaves Inc., No. 2008-1368, 2009 La. App LEXIS 1469 (La. App. 4 Cir., Aug 5, 2009), underscores the need for insurance agents and policyholders to fully discuss insurance needs when selecting types and amounts of coverage. Insurance agents generally have a duty to exercise reasonable … Continue Reading
One of the more interesting aspects of my job as an advocate for policyholders is learning from non attorneys what insurance products mean at the point of sale and how they are supposed to work after the loss. This may seem a little curious to many, but if you think about it, why would anybody trust … Continue Reading
Coinsurance penalties are the last thing policyholders worry about following a loss. My experience has been that many field adjusters fortunately do not go through the costly calculations to accurately determine if a structure is underinsured. Thus, the penalties from being underinsured do not arise as often as they could.… Continue Reading
I saw a number of property managers of former Community Association clients yesterday at the Community Associations Institute National Conference in New Orleans. We recalled the trials and tribulations of catastrophes long past. We consult with a number of them regarding their insurance programs and will sometimes have a conference with their insurance brokers and … Continue Reading
(Note: This Guest Blog is by Deborah Trotter, an attorney with Merlin Law Group in the Gulfport, Mississippi office). The spring storms and tornadoes that ripped through Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana recently could be a preview of a devastating hurricane season. Policyholders should take the opportunity now to review their policy coverage. One of the … Continue Reading
(*Note: This Guest Blog is by Ed Acle, an attorney in the Coral Gables office of Merlin Law Group). Merlin Law Group often assists commercial policyholders with claims for business interruption insurance. Many policyholders, electing to save as much as they can on their premiums, often forego this type of coverage on their policies. Those … Continue Reading
Kelly Kubiak burst into my office jubilant in her recent victory over Great American Insurance Company. She received an Order granting her Motion for Summary Judgment in a case where the central dispute involved the interpretation of the valuation clause of an insurance policy. We so often talk about the problems of causation that we fail to … Continue Reading