Claims, Case Law, and Legal Articles

Article Category

Latest Articles

Personal Lines Claims

Adjusting Residential House Fires

2004-10-09 | George Epps

Adjusting a house fire is a difficult endeavor under the best of circumstances. George Epps looks at fire claims where the coverage is on an actual cash value basis.

Claims Practices

California Supreme Court Rules: Ordinary Negligence Involving Toxic Chemicals Not Pollution

2004-09-01 | Barry Zalma

Barry Zalma examines a recent California Supreme Court ruling which concluded that the CGL pollution exclusion does not exclude ordinary acts of negligence involving toxic chemicals.

Courts and Coverage

Diminishing Value: The Trend against Coverage under Personal Automobile Policies

2004-09-01 | R Brent Cooper

Brent Cooper examines 2003 state supreme court rulings that personal auto policies do not obligate insurers to compensate insureds for diminished value when their vehicles are fully repaired.

Courts and Coverage

"Controlled Substance" Exclusion in Homeowners Policy Bars Coverage

2004-09-01 | Richard T Valentino

In this personal lines courts and coverage column, Richard Valentino examines recent cases dealing with insurance coverage for drug dealer liability.

Claims Practices

Mold and Fungi Insurance Claims

2004-08-01 | Barry Zalma

"Mold is gold," according to some in the claims industry. Barry Zalma looks at the growth of these claims, the science behind them, the case law, testing, and remediation.

Claims Practices

Stacking Insurance Limits

2004-07-01 | Barry Zalma

Barry Zalma explains why it is essential to examine the law of the jurisdiction relating to stacking of policy limits and self-insured retentions before making a decision on how to handle a claim.

Personal Lines Claims

Residential Water Claims

2004-07-01 | George Epps

George Epps takes a look at residential water claims—what causes them, how repairs are handled, and why restoration contractors are often necessary.

Courts and Coverage

Seventh Circuit Upholds Anti-Stacking Clauses

2004-06-01 | Richard T Valentino

In this article, Richard Valentino discusses a recent case upholding unambiguous anti-stacking clauses to prevent the doubling of an auto insurer's liability limits.