Tag: Seneca Insurance

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.

GuideOne

Mount Pleasant Business Insurance Claim Denial Lawsuit

Posted by Jeff Raizner on

Our client, a Mt. Pleasant hotel owner and operator, has filed an insurance claim denial suit against GuideOne National Insurance Claims and Certain Underwriters at Lloyd’s London, in The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Texarkana Division. The lawsuit stems from claims the local business filed against its insurance companies for damages sustained in a hail storm, which were not properly paid according to Texas law.

A March 28, 2014 hail storm caused serious damage to the commercial property, including the roof, windows, exterior, interior, ceilings, furnishings, and more. A subsequent October 12, 2014 windstorm further damaged the property. Immediately following each weather event, our client filed its claims pursuant to its GuideOne insurance policy and its Underwriters policy.

GuideOne, a foreign company, assigned James Stafford to handle its insurance adjustment. Underwriters, a foreign company, assigned Adam Brenner to handle its insurance adjustment. The insured contends that no competent consultants or adjusters were assigned to objectively evaluate the damage. The only adjusters assigned to evaluate the insurance claims prepared damages estimates and the insurers agreed to cover the losses. This assertion, however, later turned out to be a misrepresentation.

The complaint alleges that GuideOne, Underwriters, and the individual adjusters wrongfully denied and underpaid our client’s’ claims for building repairs under the policy and that the adjusters wrongly misrepresented that some damages and losses were not covered under the policies when they were. The adjusters and insurers delayed the claims process and the insurance providers refused to issue further payments under the policy, which our client claims has caused them serious financial harm.

Insurance Claim Denial Lawyers Seek Damages For Bad Faith

Our local business owner client cites numerous violations of the Texas Insurance Code, mostly involving the failure to act in a timely manner to initiate an investigation and to reasonably settlement 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. They also allege breach of contract, breach of duty of bad faith and fair dealing, as well as the Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act (DTPA).

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.