Was your home damaged in a hurricane? Our attorneys can help.
Contact us before you contact your insurance company or as soon as you know you have an insurance problem. Residents of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and the Caribbean may be affected by several hurricanes each season. Homeowners often face significant hurdles when trying to get insurance claims paid. The most effective method of dealing with your insurance company is to have a lawyer on your side before you first make contact. Insurance companies tend to treat claimants more fairly when the playing field is leveled and the company is aware that the claimant has representation. Our firm has worked with victims of the following hurricanes toward getting their claims paid:
Insurance companies are required to handle your claim with good faith and fair dealing. Most states have laws governing how insurers deal with claimants and require insurers to make a written offer to settle a property damage claim within 30 days after receipt of a "satisfactory proof of loss" for the claim. If the insurance company fails to do this, they may be subject to penalties. However, even when insurance companies respond within 30 days, they deny claims left and right. Homeowners insurance typically does not cover floods resulting from a hurricane; instead flood damage is often covered by the National Flood Insurance Program. Most homeowner’s policies contain a sentence excluding “flood, surface water, waves, tidal water, overflow of a body of water or spray from any of these.” However, homeowners insurance does cover things such as wind damage and damage from wind-driven rain. Insurers are using the disclaimer about flooding to get out of paying claims on homes damaged only by wind. Many residents are fighting with their insurance companies over whether the damage was caused by flooding, wind, wind-driven water from storm surges. Many inland residents find that their claims are denied and that their insurers cite flooding disclaimers. The denial of homeowner’s claims in non-flooded areas is a bad faith practice. In Florida, the State Legislature passed a law that combined the Florida Residential Property and Casualty Joint Underwriting Association (FRPCJUA) and the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association (FWUA) to create the Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens). Citizens provides insurance to homeowners in high-risk areas and others who cannot find coverage in the open private insurance market. However, this insurance and the federal flood insurance are costly, and even for residents of non-high-risk areas, claims are being denied in bad faith. We purchase insurance to provide assistance in times when we need help the most. It is unconscionable that insurance companies choose profits over helping their clients who have paid substantial money for coverage. Parker Waichman Alonso LLP has helped victims of all types of bad faith insurance claim denials receive the compensation that they deserve. If your claim has been denied, or if you have not yet filed a claim, please contact us today for a free case consultation. |
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