U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, of the Central District of Illinois, granted summary judgment to West Bend Mutual Insurance Co., ruling that the company was not responsible for the nearly $1 million in repairs to a Hampton Inn that sustained water damage. The lawsuit was filed two years ago by the hotel owners, who…

The protection you purchase with your insurance policy is supposed to be there when you need to access it for yourself or your loved ones. However, too often insurance companies fail to live up to their promises when accidents, storms, tragedy or disaster hits. A claim denial or delay can keep you from accessing the…

On July 13, the Sixth Circuit reversed a lower court’s decision and ruled that Travelers insurance company must cover the losses incurred by a tool manufacturer, after they lost more than $800,000 to theft. In a unanimous opinion, a panel of the appellate court flipped U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara’s decision, and ruled that…

On July 17, a Texas appellate court partially revived a lawsuit between Kenyon International Emergency Services Inc. and Starr Indemnity and Liability Company. Although a trial court judge granted an early victory to Starr in May of 2017, the appellate panel overruled that decision, stating there’s a factual issue as to whether Starr must cover…

When you buy an insurance policy for your property – no matter whether that property is commercial or residential – that policy is most likely going to have an appraisal clause. Although few people take advantage of the appraisal process, nearly all insureds have the option of using appraisal to resolve disputes over the “amount…

On March 16, 2018, an Illinois federal judge ruled that an “earth movement” exclusion in a commercial building’s insurance policy allowed Acuity Mutual Insurance Company to avoid paying the repair costs for damages to its Insureds’ building. What was this insurance case about? Back in August 2013, SSV and Temperature Service performed excavation around their…

A Pennsylvania federal judge ruled on March 9, 2018 that Cincinnati Insurance Company didn’t have to pay out more than $100,000 to its policyholder Wescott Electric Co. regarding a multi-million-dollar theft. U.S. District Judge Gene Pratter pointed out that Wescott should have been aware of the discontinuation of grace periods for claims reporting in their…

Over the next few months, insurance experts and policyholders should pay attention to some key decisions expected by the courts. Several rulings set to come out over the next few months include decisions on insurance bad faith, coverage for data breaches, interpretation of computer fraud provisions, and settling a dispute over covering asbestos-related injuries. Some…

Let’s start with the basics. If you, as a homeowner, sustain property damage or losses because of a covered event (like a fire, for example), you will need your home repaired. You choose a contractor or restoration company to do the work – but the check from the insurance company has not come through yet,…