Property Damage Insurance Attorney
Free Consultation
08
Sep

Client Sues Nationwide for Fraud

Homeowners-Association-Sues-Nationwide-for-Fraud-min

Client Sues Nationwide for Fraud

Our client, a homeowner’s association in Harris County, sues Nationwide Property and Casualty Insurance and its adjusters after they conducted a substandard and improper inspection of our client’s 26 properties, yielding grossly inaccurate and unrealistic assessments of the cause, extent and dollar amount of damage to underpay coverage.

April 19, 2015 Hailstorm

On April 19, 2015, a severe hail and windstorm swept across Spring, Texas, leaving damage and destruction in its wake. Our client was no exception. Its homes suffered significant damage, including damage to the roofing, windows, doors, electrical systems, stucco and trimming, among other damages. After the storm, the homeowner’s association submitted a claim to Nationwide, hoping to repair its homes so its residents could get their lives back.

Nationwide Property and Casualty Company Home Insurance Claim

Nationwide assigned one of its adjusters to inspect the property and adjust the claim. The adjuster knowingly conducted a subpar investigation, initially denying any damage and refusing full coverage. After a second inspection, she conveniently found that 15 of the 26 properties suffered the exact same damage: each property had precisely 1/4 of a roof square’s worth of damage. All of the estimated damages outlined by the adjuster amounted to $1,273 per property, leaving our client without recovery to repair the homes.

Three months after the initial inspection, Nationwide transferred the case from the first adjuster to a second. Our client’s third-party expert asked the new adjuster to reinspect the property, but the adjuster declined, suggesting that any additional damage they might find would still not meet the deductible. This adjuster subsequently denied two more re-inspection requests from our client.

The third-party expert hired after the insurance company’s inspection, or lack thereof, found a myriad of damages — that were conveniently absent from Nationwide’s inspection — totaling more than $826,500.

Nationwide’s adjusters intentionally undervalued our client’s claims in order to maintain their jobs, misrepresenting the amount of damage in the hopes that our client would simply rely on their expertise and fraudulent estimate as a true representation of the property’s damages.

Because of Nationwide Property and Casualty Company’s gross negligence and fraud, our client was unable to complete any substantive repairs to its property, which resulted in even more damage. It was forced to retain an attorney to prosecute its claim for insurance benefits. On July 27, 2016, the Chad T. Wilson Law Firm filed suit, on behalf of our client, against Nationwide Property and Casualty Company for fraud, breach of contract, and violations of the Texas Insurance Code and the Texas DTPA.

Texas Property Insurance Lawyers

If your homeowner insurance carrier has denied your insurance claim, we can help. The experienced property insurance attorneys at Chad T. Wilson Law Firm have represented more than 1,000 clients in cases against insurance companies and aggressively protect the rights of insurance policyholders. Our consultations are free, and you owe us nothing until your case is won. Contact us today to see how we can help.

04
Aug

GuideOne Insurance Fraud of Biblical Proportions

GuideOnes-Insurance-Fraud-of-Biblical-Proportions-min

GuideOne Insurance Fraud of Biblical Proportions

On Halloween, 2015, the skies darkened, lightning illuminated the sky, and thunder clapped in a cacophonous foretelling of the truly terrifying night and days ahead.

In an almost storybook turn of events, the storm whipped around a church in Silsbee, Texas, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Once the storms passed, the church, our client, immediately filed a claim with its property insurance company, GuideOne, asking them to pay for the damages so that the congregation wouldn’t have to worship in a swamp.

GuideOne hired an adjuster to inspect the church and assess the damage. The inspector, acting as though the results of the inspection were pre-determined, spent roughly 10-15 minutes on the roof, the most damaged area, interspersing the actual inspection with personal calls. He found that there were no covered damages to the church, therefore denying their claim and leaving them with no recovery to make repairs to the house of God.

So, our client hired an expert, who conducted an unbiased inspection and found a myriad of damages that GuideOne’s adjuster had left off, resulting in more than $253,250 worth of damages to the structure. Seeing that they were owed substantial damages, despite GuideOne’s grossly unreasonable, intentional, and reckless failure to investigate and adjust the claim properly, the client promptly sought out the Chad T. Wilson Law Firm to help them obtain the recovery they deserved.

On Monday, June 13, 2016, the Chad T. Wilson Law Firm filed suit against GuideOne Mutual Insurance Company in Hardin County, Texas, for fraud, breach of contract, violations of the Texas Insurance Code and Texas DTPA, and wrongfully denying our client coverage under their policy.

Through its adjuster, GuideOne conducted a substandard and improper inspection of the clients’ property, which grossly undervalued the cost of repairs in its estimate and yielded an unrealistic amount to underpay coverage. GuideOne unreasonably adjusted our client’s claim, misrepresenting the cause of, scope of, and cost to repair damages to the property.

Because of GuideOne’s misrepresentations, our client was forced to hire an attorney to file a lawsuit for insurance benefits.

If your property insurance carrier has denied your insurance claim, we can help. The experienced property insurance attorneys at Chad T. Wilson Law Firm have represented more than 1,000 clients in cases against insurance companies and aggressively protect the rights of insurance policyholders. Our consultations are free, and you owe us nothing until your case is won. Contact us today to see how we can help.

1 2 3 4 5