California Court Holds an Adjuster May Be Personally Liable for Misrepresentations Made to the Insured

Earlier this month, an intermediate level California court rejected arguments that an insurance company’s adjuster owes no independent duty to the policyholders and cannot be liable even for “appalling” misconduct if he is acting within the course and scope of his employment. According to the panel, the adjuster occupies the same “special relationship” with the insured as the insurance carrier does, and he can, therefore, be independently liable for the tort of negligent misrepresentation during the adjustment. In Bock v. Hansen, — Cal.Rptr.3d —, 2014 WL 1315314 (Cal. App. 1st Dist. Apr. 2, 2014), Michael and Lorie Bock submitted a claim to their insurerafter a 41-foot, 7,300 pound tree limb crashed onto their home. The insurer assigned an adjuster, Craig Hansen,…