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Florida Enacts Broad Insurance Reforms Focusing on Bad Faith

From 2019 to 2022, the Florida Legislature enacted four separate property insurance reforms that sought to rein in abusive property insurance litigation fueled by one-way attorney’s fee shifting and an army of professional plaintiffs filing lawsuits pursuant to assignments of benefits. In its latest reform, the Legislature has shifted its focus to the broader insurance market and to tort reform. For many years now, Florida has significantly led the nation in tort costs per household.  This metric has been driven by a high octane litigation environment, ever growing personal injury verdicts, and a gradually sharpened focus on setting up insurers for bad faith claims. About The Authors

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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 Adds Confusion to Post-Appraisal Litigation Under the TPPCA

Ever since the Texas Supreme Court changed the landscape of Texas law regarding appraisal in Barbara Technologies Corp. v. State Farm Lloyds, 589 S.W.3d 806 (Tex. 2019) and Ortiz v. State Farm Lloyds, 589 S.W.3d 127 (Tex. 2019), practitioners and courts have been struggling to apply the Texas Supreme Court’s holdings.  Barbara Technologies and Ortiz answered some questions but raised others.  About The Authors

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Florida Appeals Court Reverses Appraisal Ordered In Storm Suit

On July 20, 2022, Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal reversed and remanded a trial court’s decision compelling the parties to proceed with appraisal and staying litigation until that appraisal was completed. Florida’s appellate court held that trial court erred in granting the motion to compel appraisal without first conducting an evidentiary hearing to determine compliance with post loss obligations. About The Authors

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Florida Property Insurance Reform Round Three Brings Big Changes

For the third time since 2019, the Florida Legislature has enacted broad property insurance reforms with the goal of stabilizing the insurance market and curbing litigation filed by unscrupulous contractors. The bill, S.B. 2D, creates a reinsurance program, amends certain prohibited advertisement practices for contractors, permits issuance of personal lines policies with separate roof deductibles, and reigns in property insurance bad faith litigation and litigation by assignees. In this article, we will focus on the statutory changes that affect the handling and litigation of property insurance claims. About The Authors

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No Bad Faith When Insurer Relied on Opinion of Independent Consultant

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 and Marine Ins. Co., 859 S.E.2d 130 (Ga. Ct. App. 2021), the insured made a claim under her homeowners insurance policy for water damage to her basement that she asserted had been caused by a ruptured garden hose. The insurer’s claims adjuster inspected the property two days later and saw damage that appeared to be from ground water rather than the ruptured hose. The adjuster sought input from his supervisor, who suggested that he hire an independent engineer to determine the cause

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Posted in Bad Faith

Reasonableness of Insurer’s Coverage Decision Determined by Evidence Available at Time of Decision

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that, under Iowa law, an insurer is not liable for breach of contract or bad faith if its coverage decision was objectively reasonable at the time it was made. In Hallmark Specialty Ins. Co. v. Phoenix C & D Recycling, Inc., No. 20-1339, 2021 WL 2197068 (8th Cir. June 1, 2021), a fire originated from a pile of biofuel material on an insured’s power plant, causing alleged damage to buildings, wiring, equipment, and other materials. The insurer paid for a portion of the insured’s equipment losses, but not for removal and installation of wiring and equipment because the policy did not require such payment until damaged property had been repaired or replaced.

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Posted in Coverage

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

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. In Omni Health Solutions, LLC v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co., No. 19-12406, 2021 WL 2025146 (11th Cir. May 21, 2021) (unpublished), the insured filed a property insurance claim with its insurer, reporting hail damage to the roof of its medical facility in Macon, Georgia, and water intrusion. The policy required the insurer to give notice of its intentions with respect to a claim within 30 days of receiving a sworn proof of loss. Following a protracted appraisal process, the insured sued the insurer in Georgia superior court for breach of contract

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Posted in Bad Faith, Proof of Loss

Pennsylvania District Court Holds Materiality Does Not Require Fraud

A District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania recently held that an insured’s submission of invoices altered to inflate replacement costs for water-damaged inventory constituted material misrepresentations. The court granted the insurer’s motion for summary judgment on its claims for declaratory judgment and violation of the Pennsylvania Insurance Fraud Act; however, the court held that the altered invoices fell short of satisfying the elements of common law fraud.  About The Authors

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Posted in Bad Faith

A Consequential Ruling: Florida Supreme Court Rejects Recovery of Consequential Damages in First-Party Breach of Contract Actions

In first-party breach of insurance contract actions, the parties oftentimes dispute whether the policyholder may seek damages that are not explicitly provided for in the policy, with the policyholder arguing such indirect damages flow from the alleged breach of contract. By doing so, policyholders blur the lines between breach of contract actions and bad faith actions. The Florida Supreme Court recently considered this issue in Citizens Property Insurance Corp. v. Manor House, LLC,[1]  and held that “extra-contractual, consequential damages are not available in a first-party breach of insurance contract action because the contractual amount due to the insured is the amount owed pursuant to the express terms and conditions of the insurance policy.” Manor House arose from a Hurricane Frances

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Posted in Hurricane
About The Property Insurance Law Observer
For more than four 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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