Tag: Hail Storm

Harris County Commercial Property Damage

Harris County Commercial Property Damage Lawsuit

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Our client, a local commercial office buildings owner, was forced to file a lawsuit against Mesa Underwriters Specialty Insurance Company (Mesa) for grossly underestimating property damage claims caused by a wind and hailstorm and denying proper payment under the Texas Insurance Code.

April 2015 Wind and Hail Storm

On April 19, 2015, a severe wind and hail storm swept through Harris County. As a result, our client’s properties sustained extensive damage to the roof, HVAC, exteriors, and interiors of the properties. Immediately upon discovering the damages, the plaintiff filed an insurance claim.

In response to the claim, Mesa assigned representative, adjusters, consultants, and agents to the plaintiff’s files that were inadequately and improperly trained to investigate this type of damage. Specifically, Mesa assigned the claim to an internal adjuster who in turn assigned an additional adjuster to assess the damage.

Both adjusters failed to perform thorough investigations of the damages. Additionally, they failed to provide any estimate or scope of damages to the plaintiffs, and instead delayed the resolution of the claim.

As a result of haphazard inspections, misrepresentations, and inadequate investigations, Mesa wrongfully denied payment of the claim and failed to provide notice of the denial despite repeated requests.

Violations of the Texas Insurance Code

Mesa wrongfully denied our client’s commercial property insurance claim. Because of this, our client was forced to retain an attorney to prosecute its claim for insurance benefits. The insurance carrier’s denial of payment for necessary and covered repairs under the policy caused additional damages to the interior and significant economic impact.

Our client cites numerous violations of the Texas Insurance Code including failure to effectuate a prompt, fair, and equitable settlement of a claim, failure to implement reasonable standards for investigation of a claim, and refusal to pay a claim without conducting a reasonable investigation.

Houston Wind and Hail Damage Attorneys

If your commercial insurance carrier has denied, delayed, or disputed your wind and hail damage insurance claim, the experienced Houston litigation attorneys at Raizner Slania can help. We’ve helped scores of policyholders get the rightful compensation they deserve under their policies. Call us today for a free consultation.

wind and hailstorm

Dallas, Texas Wind and Hailstorm Property Damage Lawsuit

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Our client, a local Dallas property owner, filed suit against American Economy Insurance Company and American States Insurance Company for grossly underestimating property damage claims caused by a wind and hailstorm and denying proper payment under Texas law.

May 2011 Texas Wind and Hailstorm

On May 24, 2011, a severe wind and hailstorm swept through Dallas County and caused significant property damage to the plaintiff’s roof systems, HVAC, windows, exterior, interior, ceilings, furnishings, and more. Upon discovering the damage, the plaintiff immediately filed an insurance claim for the damages sustained from wind and hail.

American Economy and American States assigned adjusters, consultants, and agents to assess the damage to the plaintiff’s property that were inadequately and improperly trained to handle this type of claim. The insurers assigned a local adjuster to the case that failed to engage consultants to objectively evaluate the damages to the property. The local adjuster refused to acknowledge obvious damages, and instead prepared two brief estimates of damages that: (1) grossly underestimated the extent and value of damages to the commercial property and (2) represented that there was no compensable hail damage to the properties. As a result, our client’s claim was denied and no payments were issued.

The Insurance Carriers Violated the Texas Insurance Code

Because the insurance carriers wrongfully denied our client’s claim, our client was forced to hire its own consultant to independently evaluate the property damage. The client’s consultant identified substantial damage far beyond what the insurance carriers acknowledged. Despite this, the insurance carriers still refused to pay for the necessary repairs to the property as required under the terms of the insurance policies and under Texas law.

Our client cites violations of the Texas Insurance Code, including failure to attempt to effectuate a prompt, fair and equitable settlement, failure to adopt and implement reasonable standards for prompt investigation of claims, and failure to provide a reasonable explanation for the denial of a claim, among others.

Wind and Hailstorm Commercial Property Damage Lawyers

If your commercial insurance carrier has denied, delayed, underpaid, or disputed a wind and hail damage claim, you need an experienced team of commercial property insurance lawyers to help you get the compensation you deserve. The lawyers at Raizner Slania have extensive experience helping policyholders obtain their rightful payments from insurance companies. Contact us today for a free consultation.

hailstorm

Damaging Fort Worth Hailstorm

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Texas residents are no strangers to major storms; however, last Thursday, March 17, 2016, Fort Worth experienced a severe wind and hailstorm that caused property damage to homes and businesses across the city.

Two separate storms with damaging hail ripped through eastern Parker County early Thursday morning around 4:00 a.m. Several hours later, another round of hail pelted the Fort Worth area, disrupting the morning commutes of many local residents. While meteorologists anticipated several storms in the area, the severity of the storms came as surprise with hail as big as tennis balls, or 2.5 inches in diameter.

Some areas of Forth Worth were subjected to severe flooding when hail clogged up street storm drains, and Fort Worth firefighters had to rescue a woman trapped in her car surrounded by waist-high water.

Within the first 12 hours after the storm, over 6,000 auto insurance claims had been filed due to hail damage; and, while it is too early tell how much hail damage will cost property owners, it’s safe to say it won’t be cheap.

For some Fort Worth residents, the March hailstorm was particularly damaging because many of their roofs were replaced just last year after another severe hailstorm hit the area.

Raizner Slania, Texas Hailstorm Lawyers

Hailstorms can cause devastating damage to real estate and businesses. Property damage can include roof, interior, exterior, HVAC, and other damages. In addition to property damage, your company could suffer loss of business during the time that it takes to get your building repaired. This might make you entitled to file both a commercial property insurance claim and a business interruption claim.

Insurance carriers receive tens of thousands of hail damage claims every year, and they know that most customers are unfamiliar with the specific terms of their policies and usually lack the knowledge to fight back when claims are denied. The attorneys at Raizner Slania have represented insurance companies in the past, giving us valuable insight into how they conduct business. Our experienced team of attorneys has helped home and business owners across the country get the compensation they deserve to repair properties damaged by forces outside their control.

If your commercial property insurance claim has been denied, underpaid, or delayed, we can help you get the payments due under your policy. When an insurance carrier acts in bad faith, you have a right to hire an attorney to help you with your claim. Contact the litigation professionals at Raizner Slania today to review your claim.

Houston Hailstorm

Houston Hailstorm 2016

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

The first severe weather watch of 2016 was issued on Friday, January 8 for parts of Texas and Louisiana. Numerous severe thunderstorms produced large hail in southeastern Texas late Friday afternoon and into Friday night. Strong storms blew through Houston, bringing with them unexpected hail. Much of the hail was unusually large, some as large as tennis balls, and property damage has been reported across the city and in surrounding areas. Local news outlets shared photos and videos of the hail sent in by viewers across the greater Houston area, and as far away as League City and Huntsville. Harris County and several other Texas counties remained under a thunderstorm watch until late that night.

A few of the hailstorms reached southwestern and central Louisiana with hail up to the size of Ping-Pong balls late Friday evening. Strong thunderstorm winds downed trees in the Bossier and Bienville parishes of northern Louisiana.

All insurance claims are subject to crucial filing deadlines and critical steps you must take early in the claims process to protect your legal rights and ensure your claim has the best chance of receiving the greatest amount of money.

Raizner Slania, Houston Hailstorm Lawyers

Hailstorms have destroyed property across America. Were you a victim of the recent Houston hailstorm? If so, let us fight aggressively on your behalf to get you all the money you deserve.

Insurance companies know many of their customers lack the knowledge and experience to fight back when their property damage claims are denied. Many of our lawyers have represented insurance companies in the past, and this experience gives us valuable insight into how your insurer conducts its business. Insurance litigation is what Raizner Slania does. We have helped homeowners and business owners across the country when their property has been destroyed or severely damaged by events completely beyond their control.

If an insurance carrier acts in bad faith, we will help you take legal action. If your property damage claims have been delayed, underpaid, or denied, contact Raizner Slania, Houston hailstorm insurance lawyers, today. We are litigation professionals who know the insurance business and how to protect your rights.

London

Seneca Insurance Suit Filed By Tyler Business Owner

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Our client, the owner of a Tyler events and concert facility, has filed suit against Seneca Insurance Company, Inc., a third-party adjusting firm, Vericlaim, Inc., and its adjuster in Dallas County District Court. The lawsuit stems from a claim the company filed against its insurance for damages sustained in wind and hailstorms, which our client’s claims were wrongfully denied and underpaid.

According to the complaint, there were severe wind and hailstorms on April 6, 2104 and April 18, 2015, which caused serious damage to the commercial property, including the roof, windows, HVAC, exterior, interior, ceilings, furnishings, and more. Right after the storm, our client filed the claim pursuant to its insurance policy with Seneca Insurance.

Seneca Insurance Engaging in Bad Faith Practices

Seneca, a foreign insurer, assigned Vericlaim, a Dallas company, to handle the insurance adjustment, and they, in turn assigned an individual adjuster. The insured contends that no competent consultants or adjusters were assigned to objectively evaluate the damage. The adjuster refused to provide the report or findings of his investigation or that of his retained engineer, failed to respond to emails or provide updates, and generally prolonged the claims resolution. The adjuster Vericlaim assigned ultimately misrepresented that there was no hail damage to the property and the claim was denied.

The situation was so bad that our client hired its own consultants and representatives to prepare its own estimates, all of which Seneca ignored. Beyond the extensive damage to the special purpose building itself, the delays and misconduct by Seneca and its adjusters has resulted in lost revenue from cancelled and delayed concerts and other events.

Wrongful Denial Of Commercial Property Damage Claims

The complaint alleges that Seneca Insurance, Vericlaim, and the individual adjuster wrongfully denied and underpaid our clients’ claims for property repairs under the policy and that the adjuster wrongly misrepresented that some damages and losses were not covered under the policies when they were. The commercial property damage insurance claims process was delayed and Seneca Insurance refused to issue further payments under its policies, which our client claims has caused serious financial harm.

Our client cites numerous violations of the Texas Insurance Code, mostly involving the failure of the opposing parties to reasonably settle their claims. The allegations also include that the other parties acted in bad faith by misrepresenting the insurance policy and by making misleading statements about several aspects of the claim. The company also alleges breach of contract, breach of duty of bad faith and fair dealing, violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA), and fraud. In all, our client is asking for in excess of $1 million in damages for their losses, as well as interest and attorneys’ fees.

hailstorms

Las Cruces New Mexico Hail Storm Damage Claims

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Recently, a very intense major storm hit Las Cruces, New Mexico and left behind a swath of damage over the course of a few hours. Most of the New Mexico Hail Storm Damage was caused by hail, which some witnesses described as being about one inch in diameter, but the storm also featured a significant number of lightning strikes, as well as heavy rains and strong winds. Although the National Weather Service also issued a tornado warning, there were no tornadoes, so people were thankful for that.

The storm left behind a significant amount of damage throughout the Las Cruces area. It is estimated that the storm damage led to thousands of claims for all kinds of building and other property damage. And because it’s been an expensive year for insurance companies, it is very likely they will be more difficult than usual to deal with when it comes to paying storm damage claims.

Because of this, while it is always a good idea to file a claim and document damage as soon as possible, it is especially important in the wake of a devastating natural disaster like the Las Cruces storms on October 5. It’s also important, when filing a claim for storm damage, to include as much detail as possible, including photos and videos of any storm damage, so as to make a claims adjuster’s job a little easier, and to make it more difficult for an adjuster to deny a legitimate claim. The adjuster will likely show up within a few days or weeks after you make the claim, but sometimes it will take a lot longer, especially after a huge, damaging storm.

When the adjuster gets to the site of the storm damage, they will examine the property, assess the extent of the damage and the total value of the building, as well as calculate the cost of needed repairs and file a report with the insurance company. One thing everyone should remember, however, is that the adjuster works for and represents the insurance company’s interests, which will always be to minimize their payout.

The amount of time it takes your insurance company to offer to settle your claim can vary greatly, but if your loss was caused by a natural disaster like the Las Cruces storms, it is unfortunately common for claim payments to be delayed. However, when they do offer a settlement, if you question the relative fairness of either the settlement or the adjuster’s report, you always have the option of accepting an undisputed payment from the insurance company, and then subsequently pursuing the full and correct amounts.

New Mexico Hail Storm Damage Lawyers

Due to the sheer volume of claims insurance companies will likely be handling from the Las Cruces storm, many of them will likely tend to underpay or deny a legitimate claim and they will try to put off payment as long as possible, which can be extremely hazardous to your business and its bottom line. Whenever an insurance company delays payment or denies a legitimate claim, the person who filed that claim has every right to file a lawsuit against that carrier. Anytime you’re dealing with an insurance company on a property damage claim, you should always have an attorney, like the experienced insurance attorneys at Raizner Slania, because they know how to evaluate a case and get the insurance to honor their contract and pay you for your legitimate claim.