Insurance coverage advocates for policyholders ought to at all times share and assist others with related issues and customary points. Collegial cooperation is what I’ve preached as a recreation changer for policyholders attempting to alter the establishment versus insurance coverage firms.
I acquired the next from a lawyer in a special legislation agency yesterday:
Mr. Merlin,
I hope this e-mail sheds extra mild on one thing you might be undoubtedly conscious of: Your workplace in Oklahoma Metropolis has among the greatest policyholder advocates within the nation. I’m proud to be their friends and expensive associates.
For the final thirty years, my agency has completely pursued insurance coverage firms for the dangerous religion adjustment of insurance coverage claims in Oklahoma. My apply, and far of our agency, solely litigates property claims. In your phrases, there are numerous pretenders and only a few contenders on this area. When you might know your Oklahoma crew is exceptionally competent, you must know they’re true advocates for the higher good of policyholders. After I decide up the telephone, these attorneys at all times reply and generously present their time and efforts to my trigger.
I need to share notably shining examples of the goodwill freely given by your attorneys. I briefly met you at Win-the-Storm this yr. When you fumbled together with your admission ticket, I approached you in line and advised you I used to be working with Mr. Houghton on a coinsurance penalty difficulty.
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When the insurance coverage firm was confronted with unbeatable arguments it had miscalculated the coinsurance penalty, it shifted its place to say it was the policyholder’s burden to show the constructing was insured to worth….Sadly, we got here up flat on the legislation concerning the burden of proof concerning coinsurance penalties. This shortcoming was seemingly as a consequence of our limiting our work to the state of Oklahoma.
I known as Mr. Houghton and requested if he had any expertise with the difficulty, and he mentioned he would see if there was precedent in your nationwide apply on the matter. Like many issues on this career, time handed, and my dialog with Mr. Houghton was forgotten. Then, with out immediate, out of the blue, and well timed for my pretrial submission filings, I acquired a full memorandum from Drew – that was drafted by Liberty, a promising younger lawyer at your Oklahoma Metropolis agency. The thorough memo outlined a nationwide evaluation of probably the most related case legislation and rulings throughout the nation. I utilized this legislation in my pretrial submissions. Shortly after, Liberty revealed her findings to your well-known Property Insurance coverage Protection Weblog: https://www.propertyinsurancecoveragelaw.com/2023/03/articles/insurance coverage/coinsurance-in-court-who-has-the-burden-of-proof/
The weblog was hooked up to a Movement to Complement Persuasive Authority (hooked up). The decide denied the dangerous religion MSJ and confirmed the jury might contemplate punitive damages. In the course of the pretrial convention, the decide hinted she was closely persuaded by the notion the burden can be on the insurance coverage provider to show the coinsurance limitation. Simply 4 (4) days earlier than the trial, my shopper acquired a suggestion…After three years of litigation, your workplace offered us the ace on the river card.
In one other occasion: Micah Cartwright obtained a scathing sanction order towards Amguard in Nebraska (hooked up). Over espresso, I advised Mrs. Cartwright I had a case towards Amguard. With out hesitation, she shared her briefing. Throughout my Amguard case, I filed a Movement to Compel looking for a whole bunch of 1000’s of pages of documentation. Once more, your attorneys offered excellent support for an insured they by no means met.
As , you might be an icon within the insurance coverage business. Writing weblog posts and books claiming to be a policyholder advocate is one factor. Anybody might open a number of legislation agency places and publish on the web claiming they contribute to the higher good of house owners and constructing homeowners. However strolling the stroll is fully completely different and requires way more. When you and I met briefly, I regularly see the teachings and views you publicly share in your Oklahoma crew. I do know that may be a tradition instilled by you. Try to be proud to have three excellent attorneys in Oklahoma underneath your banner.
I’m pleased with each workers member in our agency. They’re our bedrock. The lawyer superstars carry that effort to higher heights and ranges of success. However it all begins with a tradition of individuals working as a crew attempting to assist in a particular subject all around the nation. Now we have a deep bench of people who find themselves 10,000-hour specialists representing policyholders.
The reality is that we want extra of those individuals within the business. We’re at all times glad to see very long time public adjusters giving their time to mentor others. We’re glad to see insurance coverage business adjusters swap sides to assist policyholders as public adjusters.
Should you discover that you simply love representing policyholders or have wonderful ability units and need to achieve this and play effectively within the sandbox with individuals who discover the legislation apply enjoyable when serving to individuals, and match the kind of particular person I describe in Why Does Merlin Legislation Group Exist? Why Do We Give Our Time, Cash and Effort to United Policyholders and The American Policyholders Affiliation?, please take into consideration contacting me and our crew about becoming a member of our legislation agency.
We’re devoted to excellence and wish world-class crew members to beat the insurance coverage firms wrongfully denying claims.
Thought For The Day
Development isn’t by mere likelihood; it’s the results of forces working collectively.
—James Money Penney
