One year after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey, Raizner Law has filed a Harvey wind damage lawsuit on behalf of a Houston condominium complex owner against AmRisc LLC, Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London, Indian Harbor Insurance Company, QBE Specialty Insurance Company, Steadfast Insurance Company, General Security Indemnity Company of Arizona, United Specialty Insurance Company, Lexington Insurance Company, and the International Insurance Company of Hannover SE.
The insurance carriers, through the program design and management of AmRisc, sold a commercial property policy the plaintiff whereby the carriers would provide insurance coverage for the property. On August 26, 2018, Hurricane Harvey reached Houston and caused devastating damage. Hurricane Harvey damaged the roofing system, drywall, flooring, and other parts of the property. Immediately upon discovering the damage, the plaintiff filed a claim with the carriers and asked the cost of repairs be covered pursuant to the policy.
The insurance carriers, through AmRisc, assigned adjusters, consultants, and agents to the plaintiff’s file that were inadequate and improperly trained. Specifically, AmRisc, on behalf of all carriers, assigned the claims to a third party adjusting firm. In turn, the third party adjusting firm assigned the claim to its internal adjuster. The internal adjuster conducted an unreasonable and inadequate investigation. The claim process, inspections, and results were continuously delayed starting the day the claim was made. The carriers, Amrisc, and their agents reassigned the claim to different adjusters, refused to provide the insured with answers, ignored obvious damages at the property, and misrepresented policy benefits, all while the property sat in disrepair and they refused to issue any payments whatsoever.
Nearly two months after Hurricane Harvey hit, the internal adjuster performed a haphazard inspection of the property. Without relying on any qualified consultants whatsoever, the third party adjusting firm and its internal adjuster valued the hotel’s damages at $8,897.93, a number well below the policy deductible. The carriers relied on these findings and willfully refused to do their own investigation to verify the obvious damages. The carriers, AmRisc, and the third party adjusting firm all failed to pay or adjust the claim appropriately after liability was reasonably clear. Over the next several months, the claim was delayed under the guise of “additional investigation,” aimed at ultimately denying the plaintiff’s claim despite obvious evidence to the contrary. The carriers and AmRisc continued to bounce the claim around internally while refusing to provide answers to the plaintiff regarding covered damages. The carriers eventually wrongly denied the Hurricane Harvey commercial property damage insurance claim.
Violating the Texas Insurance Code
Our client cites numerous violations of the Texas Insurance Code, including failure to effectuate the prompt, fair, and equitable settlement of a claim, refusal to pay a claim without conducting a reasonable investigation, and failure to affirm or deny coverage of a claim to a policyholder within a reasonable time.
Get Help With Your Hurricane Harvey Wind Damage Lawsuit
It’s been just over a year since Hurricane Harvey devastated much of Texas, but many property owners are still struggling to rebuild because insurance companies aren’t paying out on valid claims. Get help with your Hurricane Harvey wind damage lawsuit today. Call Raizner Law for a free consultation to see how we can help.
