Articles by William Rabb

Let Good Adjusters, Not Expensive Lawyers, Make the Difference on Claims, CEO Says

Harish Kapur, CEO of Across America Insurance Services, likes to tell the story of how his company’s chief defense lawyer became fed up with Kapur’s frequent requests for lower settlements on claims disputes. “He fired us. He literally fired us,” …

Exclusion Does Not Exclude Coverage for Condo in Nashville Christmas Bombing

The insurance fallout from the Christmas Day 2020 bombing in downtown Nashville continues, with a federal court deciding this week that Aspen Specialty Insurance must cover millions in replacement costs for a heavily damaged condominium building. The insurer in 2021 …

Farmers Adjusters Cry Foul Over Workloads, Claims Handling in Letter to Regulators

Farmers Insurance officials this week said they have spoken with employees after receiving an anonymous letter, apparently from a group of in-house adjusters, accusing the insurer of understaffing and overworking claims professionals. “Farmers Insurance has always been a leader in …

Foul Ball: Florida Appeals Court Says Detroit Tigers Owe Little to Injured Pitcher

If the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team needs money to rebuild its roster next year, a Florida appeals court just saved the team more than $14,000 in workers’ compensation payments to an injured minor league pitcher. Florida’s 1st District …

Contractors Can’t Advertise ‘Insurance Negotiating’ Skills, Texas Supreme Court Says

A contractor cannot be the public adjuster on a claim and cannot advertise itself as an insurance claims negotiator if it does not hold an adjusters’ license, the Texas Supreme Court decided in a case that could give support to …

Greater Chance of Major Hurricane on East Coast This Year, Less in Gulf, Scientist Says

Multiple computer models from forecasting organizations across the globe have predicted a very active hurricane season starting next month, spelling trouble for Florida and much of the Eastern United States. The models aren’t wrong, said Phil Klotzbach, a senior research …

Florida Office of Insurance Fines Heritage for Ian Claims Issues

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation in recent weeks has fined five property/casualty insurers, including Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance Co., which was hit with a $1 million penalty for failing to properly handle hundreds of claims after Hurricane Ian. …

Spouse Married After Injury Can Still Seek Damages in Asbestos Claim, Florida High Court Rules

The Florida Supreme Court has opened the door a little wider to wrongful death claims from people who weren’t married to victims at the time of injury, upsetting what defense lawyers said was a decades-old common-law practice. In Ripple vs. …

Insurers Get Green Light to Pay Less Than Billed Charges in Florida PIP Cases

The Florida Supreme Court has given auto insurers more flexibility in reducing payments for medical services under the state’s no-fault auto insurance law and may have finally put to rest years of questions about the much-debated statute. In answering a …

4,800 Claims Handled by Unlicensed Adjusters in Florida After Irma, Lawsuit Says

Two south Florida lawsuits against property insurers argue that two major carriers employed a business strategy of hiring inexperienced or even unlicensed claims adjusters after storms, practices that have led to “lowball” damage estimates that fall below deductibles. In one …