Monthly Archives: December 2022

Florida Begins New Era with Major Property Insurance Reforms

For the fourth time since 2019, the Florida Legislature has enacted property insurance reforms aimed towards stabilizing a beleaguered insurance market. The bill, S.B. 2-A, creates a reinsurance assistance program, establishes additional oversight for insurers with high volumes of hurricane claims, and reforms many aspects of the claims process, including the timing for paying and adjusting claims. The reforms further eliminate one-way attorney fee awards to policyholders and ban assignment-of-benefits agreements.  In this article, we will focus on the changes to the claim adjustment process and coverage and bad faith litigation. About The Authors

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Texas Court of Appeals Nixes Plaintiff’s Attorney’s Fees Award Because Offsets Preclude Prevailing Party Status

The First Court of Appeals in Houston affirmed an analysis that involved math and application of the Texas Insurance Code.  In Jones v. Allstate Vehicle & Property Insurance Company, 2022 Tex. App. LEXIS 8896 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] Dec. 6, 2022, no pet.), the policyholder appealed a take-nothing judgment in favor of the insurer in a dispute over a partial denial of a homeowners claim.  The policyholder sued her insurer for breach of contract, violation of the Texas Insurance Code, and breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing.  At trial, the jury found that the insurer failed to comply with the policy, engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices, and failed to comply with the duty of

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About The Property Insurance Law Observer

For more than five decades, Cozen O’Connor has represented all types of property insurers in jurisdictions throughout the United States, and it is dedicated to keeping its clients abreast of developments that impact the insurance industry. The Property Insurance Law Observer will survey court decisions, enacted or proposed legislation, and regulatory activities from all 50 states. We will also include commentary on current issues and developing trends of interest to first-party insurers.

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