Homeowner’s Liability Insurance Claims and Pennsylvania Law
Family Law, Individual, Real Estate | August 19, 2014
Recently, a client of ours experienced a fire at their home which destroyed a good deal of their property. This is one of many such insurance claims Trinity Law lawyers have handled for Pennsylvania residents. The homeowners, thinking they were fully covered under their homeowner’s policy, filed a claim with their liability insurance company. While the company confirmed that our clients were covered for repairs and the replacement of lost property, they were shocked to learn that they would not be getting any funds to replace their lost property until they first replaced the property at their own cost and then produced receipts after which the company would reimburse them! Given the extent of their losses, this situation posed a tremendous financial hardship on the homeowners. Essentially they had to go out and pay for everything first and then the insurance company would reimburse them. Despite this family difficulty, the homeowners’ insurance company took a firm stance, stating that it was a long standing and standard policy of theirs.
Thinking there was nothing else they could do, the homeowners contacted Trinity Law for a consultation. Rather than filing a lawsuit, our law firm simply wrote a letter to the insurance carrier stating that we had been retained to assist our clients in the handling of their claim. Fearing an expensive lawsuit that they knew they would eventually lose, the company backed off their “standard & long standing” claims handling procedures and began releasing funds to our clients. Had the homeowners not contacted us, they would have had to accept the insurance company’s denial of their claim and replaced all of their property by depleting their own savings and credit and then hope the insurance company did not nickel and dime them when it came time to make reimbursements.
There are countless other situations where a lawyer can often be the difference between a client being ignored or turned down and getting the attention they deserve. If you have to deal with an insurance company, government agency or other such entity, consider retaining, or at least consulting, a Pennsylvania lawyer. For over 30 years, the lawyers at Trinity Law have handled insurance claim denials. We can be reached at www.YourLawFirmForLife.com or at 1-866-464-5297. Sometimes just having a lawyer can make all the difference.