Jury Rules in Favor of Client of The Property Advocates in State Farm Property Damage Claim Denial
The Property Advocates successfully filed a lawsuit on behalf of their client, an elderly Florida homeowner who was seeking coverage from his insurance company who originally denied his claim.
CORAL GABLES, Fla., Aug. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A Florida homeowner was awarded the full amount of insurance coverage to repair damages sustained to his home after The Property Advocates successfully argued in his favor in court.
The case, Pierce v. State Farm Florida Insurance Company (Case number CACE-16-018149 in the 17th Judicial Circuit in and for Broward County Florida) originated when the home of Mr. Pierce, an elderly homeowner with health issues who was living with his adult daughter, suffered damages caused by a pipe within one of his walls.
As court documents state, the leak from the pipe caused damage to a hallway, adjacent bedrooms, and a bathroom floor. Mr. Pierce was forced to hire a plumber to break through the bathroom wall so that he could repair the pipe, which was continuing to leak water.
In addition, Mr. Pierce had to hire a professional water mitigation company in order to dry out all the excess moisture that permeated the drywall and baseboards of parts of the home.
Mr. Pierce then filed a claim with his insurance company, State Farm, but his claim was denied. The insurance company said it made the decision on the basis that the leak in his home was ongoing and, therefore, considered a repeated and constant leak that wasn't covered under his insurance policy.
However, as The Property Advocates pointed out, the State Farm policy did explicitly provide coverage for the types of leaks that happened in Mr. Pierce's case if the insured person had to destroy certain areas of the property so the repairs could be made.
In other words, if the repair couldn't be done without destroying a part of the property, State Farm would provide coverage, as stated in their policy -- which is exactly what happened in this case.
During the trial, The Property Advocates specifically brought up this point in State Farm's policy. In fact, as court documents state, an expert hired by State Farm admitted that tearing down the bathroom wall to access the plumbing that needed to be fixed was reasonable.
In the end, the jury sided with Mr. Pierce, awarding him the full amount he was seeking to pay for the repairs that were necessary to his home.
About The Property Advocates
The Property Advocates, P.A. is a full-service Florida insurance law firm specializing in property insurance claims. With offices in Miami, Orlando, and Tampa, The Property Advocates team consists of nearly 25 experienced attorneys with decades of combined experience who are compassionate, knowledgeable, and not afraid to go to trial for their clients. They have a successful track record of resolving complicated property insurance claims and getting their clients the fair compensation they deserve.
Media Contact
Michael Patrick, The Property Advocates, 786-430-0882, [email protected]
SOURCE The Property Advocates
Share this article