Category: Hailstorm Damage Insurance Claims

Hailstorms can result in considerable damage affecting windows, rooftops, the exterior and even the interior of a property. The cost of repairs may consist of thousands of dollars, but property owners with insurance will pay just a fraction of that overall cost. But when an insurance company acts in bad faith – failing to comply with a claim, delaying the claim process, or unreasonably denying due compensation – Raizner Slania steps in to ensure these property owners receive their owed payment.


DFW Hailstorm

DFW Hailstorm Caused An Estimated $1 Billion In Insured Losses

Posted by Amy Hargis on

On June 6, a massive hailstorm swept through the Dallas-Fort Worth area causing damage to thousands of homes and businesses. In the weeks since the storm, property owners have been working diligently to get repairs underway, but it won’t be a quick process. The Insurance Council of Texas reported the hail damaged an estimated 20,000 properties.

While some areas only received small sized hail, golf-ball and baseball-sized hail rocked through Dallas, Tarrant, and Denton Counties. According to Boston-based catastrophe modeler Karen Clark & Co., the June 6 hailstorm caused nearly $1 billion in insured damages. Damage was most significant for roofs, windows, skylights, solar panels, HVAC systems, satellite dishes, and any other equipment located on the roof.

For most property owners, hail damage is a covered loss under their insurance policies; however, that doesn’t mean insurance companies will be quick to pay out. Natural disasters like the June 6 hailstorm present huge losses for insurance companies. These companies often do everything in their power to minimize paying out on claims. There are various bad faith tactics insurance companies use to minimize or deny claims, but the most common tactics include:

  • Blaming covered damage on inadequate maintenance to the property
  • Blaming covered damage on regular wear and tear to the property
  • Wrongly claiming some damage is not covered under the policy when in fact it is
  • Failing to provide an estimate of damages to the insured
  • Failing to engage appropriate experts to evaluate damage
  • Causing unnecessary delays

Don’t Face The Insurance Company Alone

If you own commercial property, you can’t afford to go back and forth with the insurance company only to get a fraction of what repairs will cost. To get full compensation under your policy, you need to speak with an experienced insurance attorney who can hold the insurance company responsible.

At Raizner Slania LLP, our lawyers have earned nationwide recognition for helping policyholders fight for their rightful claims against insurance companies that operate in bad faith. Please contact us today for a free initial consultation. We handle all bad faith insurance cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will not pay attorney’s fees unless we help you recover on your claim.

Commercial Property Hail Damage Lawyers

Hailstorm Devastates DFW Area

Posted by Amy Hargis on

For most people, last Wednesday, June 6th was pretty unremarkable. Unfortunately for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the early morning was marked by a catastrophic hailstorm. Many places in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and North Texas suffered hail damage, including the cities of Coppell, Carrollton, Arlington, Irving, Frisco, and Farmers Branch.

The storm caused widespread damage and turned severe just after midnight. At 12:30 a.m., the National Weather Service released warnings for portions of Denton and Collin Counties. The storm continued to move southwest, moving through the Dallas-Fort Worth area dumping large chunks of hail along the way. Early Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service recorded wind gusts at DFW airport at 59 miles per hour.

The reports of hail size varied from 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter in places like southeast Arlington to softball-sized hail in parts of Coppell and Carrollton. For property owners, even small pieces of hail can cause serious damage. Hail can damage roofs, creating openings for rainfall that damage interiors. Hail can also damage other building components like HVAC systems, which can require costly repairs.

Filing A Commercial Property Hail Damage Claim

While most commercial property owners have insurance policies to protect against hail damage, it’s important to understand how insurance companies might try to minimize paying out on claims. Storms like the one that caused widespread damage in the DFW area cost insurance companies millions. To avoid paying out, insurance companies might use a variety of bad faith tactics. Oftentimes insurance companies will claim the damage to a property is just regular wear and tear or due to inadequate maintenance. Other times insurance companies will misrepresent the terms of their policies, claiming certain hail damage isn’t covered when in fact it is. For commercial property owners, talking to an experienced bad faith insurance lawyer can help make sure you get what you are rightfully entitled to under your policy.

Commercial Property Hail Damage Lawyers

When policyholders regularly pay their insurance premiums, they deserve full coverage under their policies. At Raizner Slania LLP, we have extensive experience taking on large insurance companies and obtaining successful outcomes for our clients. Call one of our commercial property hail damage lawyers today for a free consultation to discuss your case.

Laredo Hail Damage Claims

Laredo Property Owners Still Recovering From Hail Storm

Posted by Amy Hargis on

It’s been nearly a year since golf ball sized hail pelted areas of Laredo, Texas, but business owners are still struggling with the storm’s aftermath. Hail causes significant damage to anything in its path, and with many surplus lines insurers operating in a grey area of the Texas insurance market, policyholders are caught between insurance companies wrongfully denying claims and hail damage they can’t afford to fix themselves.

May 2017 Hail Storm

While hail is not an uncommon occurrence in Texas, the hail storm that swept through Laredo on May 21, 2017, was unique in its duration. The storm produced hail for nearly two hours. A maximum hail size was reported at 2.75 inches, but on average the hail was 1.83 inches in diameter. The storm covered a wide area, affecting approximately 38,562 buildings in Laredo and Zapata, Texas. Weather stations measured the storm’s wind gusts up to 56 miles per hour, meaning buildings were being showered with golf ball sized hail.

Laredo’s Mayor quickly declared the city a disaster area after the storm. In order to declare a city a disaster area, damages must exceed $900,000; but in this case, the damage to the World Trade Bridge in Laredo alone is estimated to be approximately $1 million.

How Hail Damage Claims Are Wrongfully Denied

Hail damage claims are particularly painful for insurance companies, often causing billions of dollars in payouts each year. However, insurance companies are first and foremost a business, which means anytime an area is damaged by a hail storm, insurance companies are quick to minimize claims.

Although hail damage might seem obvious, there are several ways insurance companies might try to release themselves from liability. An insurance company might claim the alleged hail damage isn’t actually hail damage but damage caused by the regular wear and tear caused over time. Insurance companies might also try to blame the damage on inadequate maintenance to the property, faulty construction, and/or manufacturing defects of the damaged components.

What This Means For Policyholders

The bad faith tactics used by many insurance companies to wrongfully deny or underpay claims put an extreme burden on policyholders. Many will be forced to pay out of pocket for repairs their insurance company should have covered. Policyholders need to understand that they have rights. If you have regularly paid your premium, you are entitled to full compensation under your policy.

Laredo Hail Damage Claims

If your business was damaged in the Laredo hail storm last May and you are still struggling with your insurance company, you need to immediately call Raizner Slania LLP. Don’t let your insurance company delay, deny, or underpay your claim. We can help with your Laredo hail damage claims and get you the compensation you are entitled to.

Hail Damage Insurance Lawsuits

Dallas County Apartment Owner Files Hail Damage Insurance Lawsuit

Posted by Amy Hargis on

Raizner Slania has filed a hail damage insurance lawsuit on behalf of a Dallas County apartment owner against Peleus Insurance Company, Strata Claims Management, LLC, and Engle Martin & Associates, Inc. after its insurance claim was wrongfully denied.

March 2016 Hailstorm

On March 17, 2016, a wind and hailstorm swept through north Texas, causing substantial damage to the roofs, HVAC, exteriors, and interiors of the apartment complex property. Upon discovering the damage, the plaintiff filed an insurance claim with Peleus. In response to the claim, Peleus assigned adjusters, consultants, and agents to the plaintiff’s file that were inadequately and improperly trained.

Specifically, Peleus assigned the claim to both Strata and Engle Martin. In turn, both Strata and Engle Martin assigned the claim to claims representatives. Peleus, Strata, Engle Martin, and their representatives failed to perform a thorough investigation of the claim.

The representatives performed a haphazard inspection of the property and its damages and grossly undervalued what damages they did accept. Additionally, Peleus, Strata, Engle Martin, and their representatives made false representations to the plaintiff, including illegitimately claiming the damage occurred prior to the policy period and improperly ignoring facts confirming the wind and hail storm.

Strata and its representative also misrepresented the extent of damages confirmed at the property, falsely used excuses such as roof deficiencies and improper installation, and made misrepresentations about available weather data, including blatant misuse of predictive modeling supposedly being relied on to deny and delay the claim.

Strata and its representative then wrongfully claimed the roofs did not need to be replaced and instead blamed the clear damages on installation failures and the age of the roof systems. These are deceptive, unfair, and unreasonable claim actions, as Peleus and Strata’s own underwriting data confirms the good and insurable condition of the buildings.

As a result of the haphazard inspections and investigation, Peleus wrongfully denied the plaintiff’s hail damage insurance claim. Peleus failed to perform a thorough investigation of the claim and the plaintiff has been unable to make the necessary repairs, causing additional property damage.

Peleus Wrongfully Denied The Claim

Our client cites numerous violations of the Texas Insurance Code, including failure to adopt and implement reasonable standards for prompt investigation of claims, refusal to pay a claim without conducting a reasonable investigation, and misrepresentation of the insurance policy under which it affords property coverage to the plaintiff.

Hail Damage Insurance Lawsuits

If you regularly pay your insurance premiums, you deserve full policy protection. Oftentimes when apartment owners try to receive compensation from a claim, they discover their insurance company is less than honest. If your apartment complex suffered wind or hail damage and the insurance company isn’t being straight with you, contact the hail damage insurance lawyers at Raizner Slania LLP. We’ve helped hundreds of property owners get full compensation under their policies.

Dallas County Hail Damage Attorneys

Condominium Owners Association Files Hail Damage Insurance Lawsuit

Posted by Andrew Slania on

Raizner Slania has filed a hail damage insurance lawsuit on behalf of a Dallas County condominium owners association against Peleus Insurance Company, Strata Claims Management LLC, and Engle Martin & Associates, Inc.

March 2016 Wind and Hail Storm

On March 23, 2016, a wind and hail storm swept through Dallas County causing substantial damage to the roofs, HVAC, exteriors, and interiors of the condominiums. Immediately upon discovering the damage, the plaintiff filed an insurance claim under its policy with Peleus for damages caused by the storm. The plaintiff asked that the cost of repairs be covered pursuant to the policy.

In response to the claim, Peleus assigned adjusters, consultants, and agents to the plaintiff’s file that were inadequate and improperly trained. More specifically, Peleus assigned Strata to adjust the claim and Strata assigned the claim to a claims manager. Peleus also assigned the plaintiff’s claim to Engle Martin, who in turn assigned it to an employee to adjust the damage.

Strata and Engle Martin failed to perform a thorough investigation of the claim. Strata, Engle Martin, and their representatives failed to prepare any estimates or scopes of damages to the property for the plaintiff. They also grossly undervalued the damages they did accept. Strata, Engle Martin, and their representatives made false representations to the plaintiff, including illegitimately representing that the entirety of damages occurred prior to the policy period and improperly ignoring facts confirming and supporting the hail and wind event and in turn extent of damages.

Peleus had ultimate decision-making authority over the claim. Peleus falsely denied the claim, failed to conform to proper claim settlement practices in Texas, failed to properly supervise its designated representatives, and unreasonably denied and delayed full and fair claim payment.

Our client was forced to hire its own consultant to adjust the damages because Peleus refused to do so. The plaintiff’s own consultant has identified substantial damage far beyond what Peleus acknowledged.

The Carriers Violated the Texas Insurance Code

Our client alleges numerous violations of the Texas Insurance Code, including the failure to effectuate a prompt, fair, and equitable settlement of a claim and misrepresentation of the insurance policies under which it affords property coverage to the plaintiff.

Dallas County Hail Damage Attorneys

Many insurance companies purposefully misrepresent policies during claims investigations to avoid costly payouts. If your insurance carrier delayed, denied, or undervalued your claim, the experienced Dallas County hail damage attorneys at Raizner Slania can help. Call us today for a free consultation to discuss your case.

Hail Damage Insurance Lawsuit

Denton County Gas Station Files Hail Damage Insurance Lawsuit

Posted by Andrew Slania on

Raizner Slania has filed a bad faith insurance lawsuit on behalf of a Denton County gas station and convenience store after Nationwide Property & Casualty Insurance Company wrongfully denied its commercial hail damage insurance claim.

March 2016 Hailstorm

On March 23, 2016, a wind and hailstorm swept through Denton County, Texas. As a result, the plaintiff’s property was substantially damaged, including damage to the roof, exterior, interior, products, and other business property. Immediately upon discovering the damages, the plaintiff filed an insurance claim with Nationwide to cover the cost of repairs pursuant to the policy.

In response to the claim, Nationwide assigned adjusters, consultants, and agents to the plaintiff’s file that were inadequate and improperly trained. Specifically, Nationwide assigned the claim to an adjuster who was charged with the responsibility of assessing the damages. The adjuster performed a haphazard investigation of the damages and prepared a grossly undervalued estimate of damages to the structure that ignored obvious damages to the property. Additionally, the adjuster failed to engage appropriate, non-biased consultants to evaluate the damage.

Nationwide relied solely on the adjuster’s incomplete and inadequate investigation to determine what amounts to pay on the claim. As a result, the plaintiff was grossly underpaid for the cost of repairs and has been unable to complete repairs to the property. Nationwide misrepresented coverage under the policy to the plaintiff, stating that certain damages were not covered, when in fact they were.

Nationwide Violated The Texas Insurance Code

Our client cites numerous violations of the Texas Insurance Code, including failure to effectuate a prompt, fair, and equitable settlement of a claim and failure to implement reasonable standards for the investigation of claim. Additionally, our client alleges Nationwide violated the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), which provides additional protections to consumers who are the victims of deceptive, improper, or illegal practices.

Know Your Rights As A Policyholder

If your gas station or convenience store has suffered hail damage, your insurance company should pay to cover the cost of repairs. Unfortunately many insurance companies try to find ways to minimize payouts. When this happens, you will need an experienced Texas insurance lawyer to help you get your rightful compensation. If you are facing a dispute over an insurance claim, contact Raizner Slania today to discuss your rights.