For going on five months, the United States has been dealing with the difficult impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disrupted daily lives and sometimes devastated businesses. In looking for sources of economic recovery, businesses want to turn to their commercial property policies, but, as this blog has explained, these policies are unlikely to provide the coverage business owners seek because there must first be "direct physical loss of or damage" to the insured ... Keep Reading »
About Heidi Hudson Raschke
Business Interrupted: Policyholders Seek to Avoid the “Direct Physical Loss or Damage” Requirement for Business Interruption Insurance in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the world, altering every aspect of daily life — whether it be a morning trip to the gym, a day at the office, a dinner at the Italian restaurant across the street, or a Friday night concert in the park. Businesses, particularly those in the service sector, have halted or restricted their operations, either voluntarily or by government order, in an effort to curb the spread. In these uncertain times, many businesses want to seek coverage ... Keep Reading »
Tennessee Supreme Court Holds That Replacement Cost Less Depreciation Does Not Allow for Depreciation of Labor When Calculating Actual Cash Value of a Property Loss
Insurance policies are designed to indemnify an insured by putting the policyholder in the same position he or she would have been in had no loss occurred. In the context of property insurance policies, damaged property is typically valued based on its estimated actual cash value (ACV) if it is not repaired or replaced. In order to calculate ACV, an insurer will often calculate the replacement cost (RCV) based on the cost to repair or replace the property with materials ... Keep Reading »
Florida Court Enforces Condition on Post-Loss Assignment of Benefits, Creating Conflict Between District Courts of Appeal
As we have reported, an assignment of benefits (AOB) is a legal tool that allows a third party, like a contractor, to be paid for services performed, like repairs following an insured loss, for an insured property owner who would normally be reimbursed by the insurance company directly after making a claim. Most AOBs allow the contractor to stand in the shoes of the property owner for insurance collection purposes. Such post-loss assignments are enforceable in most ... Keep Reading »
Defining Indemnity in the Context Of Actual Cash Value Calculations
“The basic premise of traditional property insurance is the concept of indemnity. The insured who suffers a covered loss is entitled to receive full, but not more than full, value for the loss suffered, to be made whole but not be put in a better position than before the loss.” In re: State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 872 F.3d 567, 573 (8th Cir. 2017). The concept of indemnification for loss is at the core of property insurance reimbursement. Insurance policies are ... Keep Reading »
Florida Court Rejects Property Insurer’s Effort to Limit Assignment of Benefits
An assignment of benefits (AOB) is a legal tool that allows a third party to be paid for services performed for an insured property owner who would normally be reimbursed by the insurance company directly after making a claim. An AOB is commonly used when a property owner experiences a loss and contacts a contractor for assistance. Most AOB agreements allow the contractor to stand in the shoes of the property owner for insurance collection purposes. These agreements are ... Keep Reading »
Georgia Federal Court Rules on Questions of Efficient Proximate Cause, Manifestation/Continuous Trigger and Pro Rata Allocation of Damages
In ACE American Ins. Co. v. Exide Technologies, Inc. and The Wattles Co., No. 1:16-CV-1600-MHC (N.D. Ga. Sept. 20, 2017), the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Georgia applied a continuous trigger theory to an all risk property policy and declined to allocate damage, resulting in a single first-party property carrier being responsible for several years of damage. This case demonstrates that courts in some jurisdictions may require that policy language ... Keep Reading »
Navigating Florida Property Coverage Waters After Hurricane Irma
As the waters recede from Hurricane Irma, there are many issues for property insurers to consider as they adjust claims in Florida, including unique issues raised by assignment of benefits, Florida law on concurrent causation, and time element considerations. Assignment of Benefits An assignment of benefits (AOB) is a legal tool that allows a third party to be paid for services performed for an insured property owner who would normally be paid or reimbursed by the ... Keep Reading »
WV Court Rules Earth Movement Exclusion Unambiguously Precludes Coverage Regardless of Whether Landslide Was a Man-Made or Naturally-Occurring Event
In Erie Insurance Property and Casualty Company v. Chaber, No. 16-0490 (W. Va. June 1, 2017), the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia reversed a lower court’s decision, holding that damage caused by a landslide was excluded, regardless of whether the landslide resulted from excavations or naturally occurred, where the policy excluded loss whether such loss is “caused by an act of nature or is otherwise caused.” The court went on to follow the law of other ... Keep Reading »
New York Court Upholds Suit Limitation Period, Ruling Appraisal is Not a Condition Precedent to Filing Suit
Courts will generally uphold reasonable suit limitation periods in property insurance policies, if the insurer does not affirmatively waive or extend them. In MZM Real Estate Corp. v. Tower Ins. Co. of New York, No. 452741/2015 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. April 11, 2017), a New York court followed the general rule. In enforcing a suit limitation period, the court was unpersuaded by the insured’s argument that once appraisal is demanded it becomes a condition precedent to filing ... Keep Reading »