Raizner Law has filed a bad faith insurance lawsuit on behalf of a Vidor, Texas industrial building owner against Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company (PLM) and Engle Martin & Associates.
Our client owns and operates two one-story steel buildings with metal panel siding and raised rib metal panel roof systems in Vidor, Texas. In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey came ashore as one of the most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history. Hurricane Harvey’s wind and rain continued to travel through the southeast part of Texas, inflicting billions of dollars in damages to private and public property all the way into Orange County and Vidor, Texas.
As a result of Hurricane Harvey’s devastation, the plaintiff’s properties were substantially damaged by the storm. Immediately upon discovering the damage, the plaintiff filed a Hurricane Harvey damage insurance claim with PLM, requesting that the cost of repairs be covered pursuant to its policy. PLM’s claims-handling process resulted in a wrongful refusal to pay and omitted a wealth of facts, physical evidence, obvious wind damages, and meteorological data supporting the plaintiff’s claim. PLM unreasonably pinned the losses on anything but the wind, an action designed to save PLM millions of dollars in insurance claims payouts.
After cursory and substandard inspections, and more than seven months after the property was damaged, PLM denied the plaintiff’s claim in April 2018. The denial letter stated there was no wind damage to the roofs, there was no storm created opening, and there was existing wear and tear. Our client rebutted these claims, and PLM allowed a second engineer to inspect the property. The second engineer also blamed the damage on anything except the catastrophic winds from Hurricane Harvey.
Violations of the Texas Insurance Code
Our client alleges PLM violated the Texas Insurance Code by failing to effectuate a prompt, fair, and equitable settlement of a claim, failure to provide promptly a reasonable explanation for the denial of a claim, and refusal to pay the claims without conducting a reasonable investigation.
Vidor Hurricane Harvey Insurance Lawyers
Raizner Law is representing Hurricane Harvey victims in Vidor, Texas against dishonest insurance companies. If your insurance company is delaying, undervaluing, or outright denying your claim, contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your case.