Should You Engage a Financial Advisor?
Discrimination and Bias in Residential Lending
Five Steps a Healthcare Banker Recommends When Acquiring a Medical or Dental Practice
What is an Appraisal?
Episode 014: Business Divorce Stories: Business Appraiser Tony Cotrupe and Attorney Jeff Eilender
Episode 1: Chris Mercer Interview on Marketability Discount: Part 1
Episode 2: Chris Mercer Interview on Marketability Discount: Part 2
Episode 11: Mediating Business Valuation Disputes: Conversation with Arthur Rosenbloom
In a recent decision, Gray v. Philadelphia Contributionship, 748 F. Supp. 3d 367 (D. Md. 2024), U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar granted a policyholders’ motion to compel appraisal and stayed litigation in a diversity...more
Accidents happen—whether a piece of artwork or a collectible is damaged in shipping, affected by fire or water or even knocked over by Steve Wynn’s elbow. Having the right insurance in place can help mitigate financial losses...more
Welcome to the first 2025 edition of the Zelle Lonestar Lowdown! Our theme this year is Collaboration. We recognize that we are not an island in this industry and our clients, and ultimately the property owners, best benefit...more
One Church v. Brotherhood Mut. Ins. Co., 2024-Ohio-1601 - The plaintiff was insured by the defendant insurance company for property damage to its building, which sustained wind damage in a storm on February 24, 2019. The...more
“Appraisal” is a procedure typically mandated by state law or outlined in an insurance policy. Appraisal is a dispute resolution procedure intended to provide insurers and policyholders with a method to award the measurement...more
In a recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Wood v. GeoVera Specialty Insurance Company (2024 WL 3952571), the court affirmed that unambiguous policy limits remain enforceable even when...more
Heritage Property & Casualty Ins. Co., Appellant v. Sunset Villas Phase III Condominium Association, Inc., Appellee, Fla. 3rd DCA, 3D23-1672, May 15, 2024, Appeal from non-final order from Miami-Dade Co. Lower Tribunal No....more
Alice Ward Valdivieso, et al., Appellants, v. Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, Appellee, 3rd District, Case No. 3D22-2137, L.T. Case No. 18-23350, Mar. 6, 2024 - The Third District Court of Appeals was asked to...more
Am. Coastal Ins. Co. v. San Marco Villas Condo. Ass’n, Inc., SC2021-0883, 2024 WL 369079 (Fla. 2024) - The defendant, San Marco, filed a property claim with its insurer, American Coastal, for damage sustained to its property...more
On February 1, 2024, the Supreme Court of Florida issued its opinion in American Coastal Ins. Co. v. San Marco Villas Condominium Ass’n, Inc., 2024 WL 369079 (Fla. 2024), to address a persisting conflict on the timing of...more
In Rodriguez v. Safeco Ins. Co. of Ind. the Texas Supreme Court addressed a key issue concerning appraisal that was dividing lower Texas state courts and Texas federal district courts. The United States Court of Appeal for...more
The Appraisal Process Even when an insurer agrees to cover an insurance claim, disputes often arise between the insurer and the insured as to the valuation of the loss, particularly claims under commercial property and...more
Jason Brand made a claim for disability benefits under his disability policy with Principal Life Insurance Company on the basis that he was totally disabled by extreme anxiety that began in July 2014 after a warrant was...more
The Southern District of Texas recently held that an appraisal award did not establish liability for a covered loss under the policy. In Hoff v. Meridian Sec. Ins. Co., 2023 WL 5192013 (S.D. Tex. Aug. 11, 2023), Meridian...more
Southern District Holds That Contractor’s Carrier Has Duty To Defend ConEd Even Though Contractor’s Work Ended Months Before The Accident-A pedestrian tripped and fell on a Bronx sidewalk, and she sued the owner of the...more
This year began like the last one ended, with lots of activity. Total loss class actions kept going around the country, and labor depreciation class actions experienced ups and downs, depending on one’s viewpoint. New class...more
The majority of publicly traded companies are incorporated in Delaware but have their principal place of business in another state. This can raise thorny issues of what state’s laws should apply to an insurance coverage...more
Appraisal is a frequently used and often maligned method to adjudicate disputes in the property insurance world. Typically, appraisal is used for the purposes of evaluation only and will not bring finality to a claim in which...more
Accepting coverage for part of a claim may subject an insurer to a policy’s appraisal process when the extent of covered damage is in dispute, according to a recent ruling issued by the Eastern District of Tennessee....more
Property insurance policies commonly provide for an appraisal process to resolve disputes over the amount of loss. But as industry professionals know all too well, the meaning of "amount of loss" is often disputed, and courts...more
On October 27, 2021, the Second District Court of Appeal reversed a trial court order compelling appraisal that had been issued by Judge Elizabeth Krier of Collier County in American Coastal Insurance Company v. Ironwood,...more
The Superior Court of Delaware rebuffed efforts by a policyholder to recover defense costs and interest it incurred in connection with an underlying appraisal proceeding, agreeing with the defendant-insurers that the...more
The Iowa Supreme Court recently reversed the appellate court’s denial of an insurer’s motion for a directed verdict, finding that United Fire did not breach the insurance policy and did not commit bad faith during a property...more
Even if an insurance company attempts to deny its coverage obligations, there are still processes that a policyholder can explore, short of litigation, that could resolve a coverage dispute. Appraisal is an alternative...more
When the insured and insurer disagree on the amount of a particular loss, an appraiser can help settle the matter. Partner and insurance attorney Nate Meyer explains an appraiser's role in this video. ...more