We work for policyholders, never for insurance companies
Over $250 Million won in 5 states.
Insurance dispute lawyers for home and business owners in Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas and Alabama.
Insurance Dispute Lawyers Helping Policyholders Across the Southeast and Midwest
Legal support for policyholders, businesses, and commercial property owners involved in insurance disputes
Homeowners, business owners, commercial property owners, condominium and homeowners associations, churches, nonprofits, and other policyholders may face substantial insurance disputes even if they have coverage. At McWherter Scott & Bobbitt, we represent policyholders in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Washington and Arkansas. If your claim was denied, delayed, or underpaid – or you are involved in a dispute over the cause or extent of your damage or losses – our attorneys can help evaluate the policy, the claim, and your available options.
We’ve already helped recover over $250 million for policyholders. Our team is here to help you repair, rebuild, and start fresh.
How can McWherter Scott & Bobbitt help with an insurance claim?
Insurance claims can become complicated when the insurer and the policyholder disagree on key factors. Some of the disputes we’ve handled involve:
- Whether a loss is covered
- What caused the damage
- How much damage occurred
- What repairs or replacement will cost
- The amount of lost business income
- Whether exclusions or limitations apply
- How much the insurer is required to pay
At MSB, we can step in and advocate for you when these disputes occur. Our clients may enlist our support when a claim is still pending, after an underpayment or denial, when communication or progress has stalled, during an appraisal or another dispute-resolution process, or when litigation becomes necessary.
We help our clients by reviewing the insurance policy and claim documents and identifying potential coverage issues. Our attorneys can investigate the insurer’s explanation, estimates, reports, and payment decisions, and identify important evidence. We may speak to experts like contractors, engineers, accountants, estimators, building consultants, public adjusters, and other professionals to support your claim. As your advocate, we take care of negotiations with the insurers, saving you from the stress of handling these issues on your own. With an insurance dispute attorney, you’ll have someone who can determine your best options, which might include mediation, litigation, or another legal pathway depending on the facts and circumstances.
What types of insurance claims and disputes does MSB handle?
MSB represents policyholders dealing with various types of losses and insurance disputes, including:
Property damage claims. We handle claims involving residential properties, commercial properties, apartments, condominiums, HOA properties, churches, nonprofit organizations, hotels, restaurants, manufacturing facilities, industrial buildings, warehouses, and multi-building properties.
Business interruption claims. These may involve lost business income, extra expenses, disputes over the amount of revenue lost, or disputes regarding how long business operations were affected.
Bad faith and unfair claims practices. Such disputes might involve unreasonable delays, inadequate investigations, misrepresentation of available coverage, unjustified underpayment, failure to adequately explain a claim decision, and other improper handling of claims. Insurance claims practices are also subject to state laws and regulations, including those in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio, Texas and Washington.
Agent negligence and other coverage disputes. These cases may involve a failure to obtain requested coverage, coverage gaps, errors in policy issuance, underinsurance, and other mistakes an insurance agent may make.
Insurance disputes are not one practice area among many at McWherter Scott & Bobbitt — they are our practice. Our attorneys focus on representing policyholders in disputes with insurance companies. That concentration has given our team extensive experience with the policy language, claim practices, valuation issues, appraisal procedures, coverage questions, and litigation strategies that arise in first-party insurance claims. We regularly handle substantial and complex losses involving businesses, commercial properties, industrial facilities, municipalities, school districts, churches, associations, and individual policyholders.
What makes each type of property claim unique?
Whatever type of property you own, the insurance dispute lawyers at McWherter Scott & Bobbitt have the experience and resources to resolve your claim. We’ll help you determine if your property can be saved through repairs or rebuilding, or whether your property will be declared a total loss. We work with professionals who can help determine the full scope of the damage, including both the obvious damage and the more subtle damage that is hidden from view absent a knowing eye. Contact us to learn more about our work with:
- Commercial property claims
- Restaurant claims
- Manufacturing facility claims
- Churches and non-profits
- Condominium claims
- Hotel claims
- Industrial and warehouse claims
- Residential claims
- Multi-family dwelling claims
We also represent policyholders facing disputes regarding their:
- Life insurance claims
- Health insurance
Losses that commonly lead to insurance disputes
At MSB, many, but not all, of the claims we handle involve natural disasters that caused serious damage to our clients’ property. Some of the common causes of destruction we see include:
- Wind damage
- Hail damage
- Storm damage
- Water and mold damage
- Fire, smoke and ash damage
- Flood damage
- Hurricane damage
- Tornado damage
- Earthquake damage
- Wildfire damage
- Theft
- Vandalism
Any of these events can leave a home or business damaged, unusable, or in need of significant repairs or business-income-related losses. Coverage depends on the policy language, cause of loss, and facts of the claim.
Why do policyholders choose McWherter Scott & Bobbitt?
MSB has not simply practiced in this area — we have helped shape the law governing insurance claims and policyholder rights. Our attorneys have obtained significant decisions enforcing policyholders’ appraisal rights and appraisal awards, including decisions addressing the scope of repair and an insurer’s attempt to characterize an amount-of-loss disagreement as a coverage dispute.
Our work has also resulted in important precedent involving total-loss and valued-policy claims. MSB has served as lead or co-lead counsel in numerous class actions challenging labor depreciation and related insurance-payment practices, resulting in substantial court-approved recoveries for policyholders.
That depth of experience matters before a lawsuit is ever filed. We understand how insurance claims are investigated, documented, valued, and challenged, which allows us to identify issues early and help clients make informed decisions throughout the claim process. We pursue efficient resolutions when possible through negotiation, appraisal, mediation, and other appropriate methods, while preparing matters with litigation in mind. When a dispute requires trial or appellate advocacy, our attorneys have the experience to see it through.
We also believe our clients should understand what is happening throughout the representation. Our team prioritizes communication, explains the issues and available options, and keeps our clients informed as the claim or litigation develops.
Results for policyholders
Past results can’t predict future outcomes. Too many factors influence how much a policyholder may recover. However, we’re proud of how we’ve helped our past clients. Some of our notable results include:
We helped secure an additional insurance payment after a dispute involving hail damage to dozens of buildings.
MSB took over an existing lawsuit and secured an additional resolution in less than a year.
A settlement for loss of business income and extra expenses following a fire.
We recovered additional insurance proceeds for a Kentucky commercial property owner.
Recent results include $8.9 million+ for a Mississippi school district, $4 million for a Tennessee manufacturing facility, $3.9 million+ for a West Tennessee business, and $1.985 million for a Kentucky shopping center. Read more about our past successes on our results page.
No matter when we are hired, our goal is always the same – to secure an accurate and speedy recovery for our clients. If hired early in the process, we work to avoid lawsuits by assisting with a clear, concise, and thorough claim assessment and making sure all the various loopholes are filled when making your claim. But, when insurance adjusters delay the claim, underpay, or act in bad faith, we’re ready to take insurance companies to court.
What we do well for clients throughout the Southeast and Midwest
The insurance companies often balk when faced with large claims and professional help is imperative. At McWherter Scott & Bobbitt, we:
- Identify all coverages available, not just the obvious ones;
- Help identify the right professionals to determine the true amount owed; and
- Communicate with the insurance company and its adjusters;
- When claims are underpaid;
- When claims are denied; and
- When claim payments are delayed.
Our insurance lawyers work to get claims promptly and accurately resolved so you that you can move on with your life.
Meet Our Founders
Brandon McWherter
Clint Scott
Jonathan Bobbitt
What do MSB clients say about working with the firm?
One of the best ways to learn about MSB and how we treat our clients is to read what they’ve said about working with us. Here are a few words from past MSB clients.
When should you talk to an insurance dispute lawyer?
Policyholders don’t need to wait until an insurance company formally denies a claim to speak to a lawyer. Here are some of the signs that you should consider reaching out to us:
- Your loss is complex
- The insurer disputes whether the damage is covered
- The insurer’s estimate is far below your understanding of the damage
- The company is attempting to attribute the damage to wear and tear, deterioration, prior damage, flooding, or another excluded cause
- The insurer is asking you for extensive documentation or examinations
- You have a business-income claim that has become difficult to quantify
- Your insurance payments have been delayed
- The insurer has issued a partial denial
- The claim has stalled
- You are considering appraisal, mediation, or litigation
- Another lawyer, public adjuster, or claim professional recommended that you involve insurance counsel in your claim
Not every ordinary insurance claim requires an attorney. However, when policyholders face a serious dispute, they do not have to wait until litigation has begun. MSB can assist you if you are a policyholder in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Washington or Arkansas.
Are you an attorney or a public adjuster helping a policyholder?
MSB regularly works with attorneys, public adjusters and restoration contractors who encounter insurance disputes requiring experienced legal counsel. Learn more about partnering with us on our attorney referral page.
Talk with a Southeast and Midwest insurance dispute lawyer at MSB
When insurance works the way it should, it gives people and businesses the resources to recover after a serious loss. Unfortunately, disputes may prevent that from happening. If you’re facing a dispute with your insurer, MSB can review the policy, the insurer’s position, and the circumstances of the claim and explain your available options. We serve Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Texas, Washington and Arkansas. Call us today at 731-664-1340 or fill out our contact form to schedule a consultation with our team.