Articles by William Rabb

Fla. Court Clears Way for Video Recording of Adjuster’s Damage Inspections

Homeowners and public adjusters may now feel a little more emboldened to record an insurance adjuster’s inspection of a home, after a Florida appeals court ruled in favor of the practice last week – the third such ruling in as …

Fla. Contractors File Suit Challenging Assignment of Benefits Law

A group of contractors wasted little time in challenging the constitutionality of a law approved at the Florida Legislature’s special session last week, one the restoration companies argue singles them out and deprives them of attorney fees in assignment-of-benefits claims. …

Florida Legislature Passes Property Insurance Reinsurance Bill

By Wednesday morning, it was all over except for the speeches. The five-day special session on the insurance crisis turned into just three days, and without seeing adoption of a single significant modification to two bills that had been carefully …

Florida Appeals Court Slashes $600,000 Attorney Fee on $52,000 Claim

Florida may have one of the most generous attorney-fee mechanisms in the country, sometimes resulting in plaintiff’s fees that are several times greater than the amount of damage awards. It’s enough to drive property insurers crazy – or toward the …

Fla. Appeals Court Narrows Going and Coming Rule in Work Comp

A Florida appeals court has put a fine point on the still-evolving “going and coming rule” in workers’ compensation law. The 1st District Court of Appeal found that a man injured on his way to a jobsite was not due …

Hospital Must Turn Over Info on Famous Cardiologist, Appeals Court Says

Once a party relinquishes information considered privileged, it cannot then claim that other information about the same subject must remain sealed, a federal appeals court found in a medical malpractice and fraud case that has resulted in three separate rulings …

Fla. DFS Accuses Man of Operating as an Unlicensed Claims Adjuster

In another case involving the notorious Strems Law Firm, a Florida man has been charged with operating as an unlicensed claims adjuster and promising homeowners free roofs and kitchens to be paid for by an insurance carrier, state authorities said. …

Fla. Court Rulings Hand Tool to Insurers to Stem Claims Litigation

A decision handed down Thursday by the Florida Supreme Court, along with a recent ruling by state regulators, could give insurers another tool that could be used to stem the tide of claims litigation. In AirBnB Inc. vs. John Doe, …

Insurers Applaud Charges Against Fla. Contractors in ‘Free Roof’ Scheme

The recent arrest of two men associated with a large Florida roofing company, on charges of offering “free roofs” and rebates to cover homeowners’ insurance deductibles, has met with strong reactions around the state. The insurance industry has complained loudly …

Citizens Still Struggling With Lawsuits, but Legal Fees and Payouts Decline

A committee of the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. governing body produced some good news on litigated claims and some bad news Thursday, giving further insight into a big part of Florida’s insurance market. The bad news first: The number of …