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Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company ordered to pay damages

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

In the past, lawsuits have revealed internal documents which proved that insurance companies sometimes intentionally delay payment on their claims. These documents have also revealed that the insurance companies intentionally attempt to make enforcing your rights so expensive that you simply give up on your claim. When you give up, the insurance companies make big profits which are funneled to their CEOs in the form of bonuses or are paid out as dividends to their shareholders. Sometimes, it does not always work out so well for the insurance companies.

Taylor, Warren & Weidner, P.A. took Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company to court for refusing to pay a claim it had promised to do so in the policy it sold to the homeowners. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company refused to pay for a home that burnt down after a fire which left a family of six out on the street. The jury agreed with the family and ordered Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company to pay for the damages as it had promised to do when the homeowners purchased the policy of coverage.

The verdict justly compensated the family for the losses. However, this justice took over eight years of costly litigation. Based on this delay and the costs of the litigation, which the family needlessly had to endure, Taylor, Warren & Weidner, P.A. asked the Court for additional compensation. The Court agreed and awarded the family $132,793.07 in attorney’s fees and costs and $73,540.82 as compensation for the delays. These funds were in addition to the money the family was awarded by the jury to rebuild their house.

This family is a perfect example of how resolve and determination can help level the playing field between a big insurance company and an individual. Some people choose to forego legal representation because they do not believe they can afford a lawyer. This is not always the case. In these economic times, you cannot afford not to hire a lawyer. The best chance you have of receiving full and fair compensation is to consult with a lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us today to discuss your rights without any obligation, fee, or cost unless you retain us and we make a recovery on your behalf.

Tags: homeowner's insurance, House Fire, insurance claims, Insurance Law, insurance lawyers, Universal Insurance
Posted in Insurance Law, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Insurance: Delay, Deny, Defend

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Interesting article in the Huffington Post last month. This article exposes what most of us already know. Insurance companies are putting profits ahead of people. They are able to get away with this because the laws which regulate this industry are weak and one-sided. According to a prominent business professor from Northwestern University, claims have become a money-making process for the insurance industry. What this means is that insurance companies actually make money when you have a loss.

According to the Huffington Post, the insurance company makes money off of their clients by purposefully low-balling their customers. According to the article, if a customer refused a low ball offer, their claim would be delayed and the customer would be intentionally forced to bring expensive litigation. According to a former Allstate Insurance Company claims agent, their strategy was to make enforcing your rights so expensive and time-consuming that lawyers could not afford to help policy holders. This former Allstate employee states that this policy was nick named, “From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves.”

The Huffington Post cites to an article which identifies Allstate Insurance Company as the worst insurance company in the country. Behind Allstate are Unum, AIG, State Farm, Conseco, WellPoint, Farmers, UnitedHealth, Torchmark, and Liberty Mutual. To read more about how insurance companies are purposefully delaying your claims read the article here. Link

Tags: bad faith, disability claims, health insurance, homeowner's insurance, House Fire, insurance claims, Insurance Law, Universal
Posted in Insurance Law, Uncategorized | No Comments »

What is an Insurance Examination under Oath (EUO) and Why Should I Care?

Monday, July 18th, 2011

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What is an Examination Under Oath?

If you make a claim for benefits under your own insurance policy, you could be subject to an Examination under Oath. An Examination under Oath, or EUO, is a sworn statement given by someone who has made a claim due to fire, lightning, hurricane, or car accident–just to name a few. According to the group, United Policy Holders, insurance companies use this procedure if they suspect a fraudulent claim or if they are considering disputing coverage before going into litigation. The insurance company will hire a lawyer to ask you questions. You will be forced to swear an oath before you answer any question. Your statements are recorded by a court reporter. The insurance company will use your statement against you if it servers the insurance company’s purpose.

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Posted in Insurance Law, Uncategorized | No Comments »

No “Take-Backs” for Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

On June 29, 2011, an Escambia County Jury told Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company that it could not get out of a deal it made with a Pensacola family of 6. A Pensacola family purchased homeowner’s insurance from the company with the red elephant, Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company. Universal promised to insure the family home in case of disaster if the family agreed to pay insurance premiums. The family agreed to the deal and paid Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company over $2,000.00 for insurance to protect their home.

In 2007, the family home experienced an accidental fire. The fire burned the home to the ground and consumed almost every possession they owned. Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company had no problem accepting this family’s money for premiums –until they needed to make a claim that is. When Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company found out about the accidental fire, they decided they no longer wanted to be the family’s insurance company—they wanted to “take-back” the deal.

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Tags: bad faith, homeowner's insurance, insurance claims, Insurance Law, insurance lawyers, Phillip Warren
Posted in Insurance Law, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Full Coverage Does Not Mean Complete Coverage

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011

During the last few weeks we have had to tell too many people that there is no insurance to compensate them for their injuries caused by careless drivers. Inevitably, they say “but my insurance agent told me I had full coverage.” These people have become victims twice. Not only are they the victim of another driver’s carelessness, but also they will never have the opportunity to make a fair recovery because they did not have the correct insurance coverage to protect themselves.

Florida law does not require an owner of a vehicle to carry Bodily Injury (BI) insurance. BI insurance pays to compensate other people hurt in a crash if you are found to be the at-fault driver. If you are injured by a careless driver who does not have enough BI or any BI insurance, there will not be enough money to compensate you for your medical bills or lost wages if the crash is a serious one. The only way to protect yourself from being financially devastated due to the fault of a careless driver is to purchase UM Coverage which stands for Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Coverage.

UM Coverage protects an injured person and their family when a careless driver either doesn’t have enough BI insurance or has no BI insurance at all. UM Coverage is the flipside to BI insurance. BI insurance protects the other driver. UM Coverage protects you.

This firm has focused on personal injury insurance claims in Florida over the years. We have learned that when a driver thinks they have “Full Coverage,” what they actually have is legal coverage, or the minimum required by law. The State of Florida does not require drivers to carry insurance to protect innocent people they may hurt. The State of Florida only requires automobile owners to have very limited medical and disability coverage for the auto owner, NOT the innocent people they may hurt, and property damage coverage for damage to other people’s property. You can drive on the roads in Florida with legal coverage and yet have no protection for severe injuries caused by someone else’s carelessness.

Contact your insurance agent and ask whether you have UM Coverage on your car to protect you and your family. If you do not have UM, ask for it immediately. Purchase as much as you can afford so that YOU are protected. Once you have been involved in a car crash it is too late.

Tags: car accident pensacola, car crash, car injuries, insurance claims, Insurance Law
Posted in Helpful Articles, Insurance Law, Uncategorized | No Comments »

New Television Commercials

Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011

In an effort to better reach out to the community and let them know what we do at Taylor, Warren & Weidner, P.A., we have launched three new television commercials. See them here:

Stephanie Taylor on Disability Insurance