Lawsuit Filed Against Homeowners Insurer for Failing to Pay for Roof Damage
My client's slate roof was damaged by wind in a severe March 30, 2011 unnamed storm. I have many, many roof cases arising from this severe wind event. Several tiles were blown off during the storm. Thankfully, there is no leaking yet. Nor, does there have to be in order to force your insurance company to replace your roof.
My client submitted the claim to his homeowners insurer. His insurance company sent out an engineer who wrote an extensive report which concluded that the roof was not damaged in the storm, but instead needed to be replaced because it was old. I am convinced that in many of these cases the insurance company gets the report it wants and hopes the homeowner just goes away. Sadly, many do. This one did not.
Yesterday, I filed a breach of contract suit against my client's homeowners insurer. I've probably handled over 1,000 of these roof cases over the past 21 years. This is actually one of the easier ones.
What is most disconcerting is that I know that most homeowners just go away after receiving an engineering report from the insurance company. That is why I promise to look at any insurance denial for free!
Further, in most of my insurance cases, if I win the insurance company has to pay my fees and costs, and if I lose, I'll work for free!
Do not go it alone. Every insurance case I've won has one thing in common. The insurance company refused to pay. Most of the time, there is an extensive engineering or other expert report explaining why the insurance company doesn't owe anything. That denial letter is not the end of the inquiry, it is just the beginning.
