Insurance Coverage & Liability

Subscribe to Insurance Coverage & Liability

It’s just a few days away! The papal visit is expected to bring more than 2 million visitors to the Philadelphia area. Our last two articles (here and here) dealt with the positive economic impacts for the region and managing the masses during this event. Here are five (5) tips that should be at the top of the list for landlords and owners of commercial, retail and multi-family properties.

Review your Leases. With an event of this magnitude, it is a good time to take a last minute look at your leases to ensure all items are appropriately addressed. For instance, does your lease have certain notice requirements for limiting access to parking areas designated for tenants and their customers? If you plan on sectioning off certain parking areas, did you send notice out in time? Sometimes leases will have a provision that allows you to circumvent certain notice requirements, if actions are done for health and safety reasons.…

Continue Reading Pontiff’s Visit to Philadelphia (Part III) – Top Five (5) Last Minute Tips for Landlords/Owners

The insurance industry is reacting to the recent realities that the Ebola virus has the potential to have an impact on U.S. based businesses. NAS Insurance Services recently announced that it will offer Ebola Business Interruption Coverage in conjunction with Prospect Insurance Brokers Ltd and the Ark Syndicate at Lloyd’s of London. This coverage is intended to fill a gap that exists in current Commercial Business Owner policies.
Continue Reading New Insurance Offering: Ebola Business Interruption Coverage

Most homeowner’s policies issued in New Jersey contain statutes of limitation for filing a lawsuit against an insurance carrier where the homeowner (insured), disagrees with the insurance carrier’s claim payment amount, or refusal to make any payment on a claim.

In a recent unpublished United States District Court opinion, Turkmany v. Excelsior Insurance, the…

Insureds filing a fire loss claim against their homeowner’s insurance carrier for property damage and loss of personal property must not conceal or misrepresent any material fact or circumstance in presenting the claim.

In a recent unreported Appellate Division case in New Jersey, Masaitis v. Allstate, plaintiffs (the homeowners) sued Allstate for significant fire…

A recent unpublished decision by a N.J. federal district judge addressed whether an insurance company can be forced to pay out $300,000 on a life insurance policy purchased by a senior who stopped paying premiums before his death.  Smith v. Conseco.

The New Jersey legislature enacted a statute, effective in 2000, requiring insurers to…

A recent New Jersey Appellate Division decision in Kohler v. Life Insurance Company of North America and Best Med Consultants, Inc., addressed a disability insurance carrier’s right to have a disability claimant examined through a so-called “independent medical examination (“IME”).”…
Continue Reading Appropriateness of Independent Medical Examinations in LTD Claims

As a seasoned mediator, I begin each session by affirming my absolute confidence that a settlement of the dispute can be arrived at during the session we are about to commence. Parties come to the process often unfamiliar and apprehensive, yet largely open to the prospect, especially if reinforced by suggestion, that anything is possible.
Continue Reading Having an Open Mind in Mediation Can Help Achieve a Settlement

In response to concerns raised by the public, legislators, the Community Associations Institute and others, Congress recently passed the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014. Signed by President Obama into law, the legislation forestalls significant increases in flood insurance premiums that were set to have taken effect.
Continue Reading Reprieve For Community Associations Located In High Risk Flood Areas

With the anniversary of Superstorm Sandy fast approaching, policyholders who sustained damage during the storm who have not yet settled their insurance claims, may be running up against some contractually imposed deadlines. Most insurance policies limit the time period within which an insured is permitted to file suit against an insurer for the insurer’s failure to provide benefits under the policy. Insurance policies are considered contracts, and normally in New Jersey an aggrieved party has up to six years to sue for an alleged breach of contract. However, parties are free to enter into contracts that contain terms which restrict rights that would otherwise be available to one party or the other. In the insurance context, policy provisions which limit the time period within which an insured is permitted to sue are found in virtually all policies.
Continue Reading The Impact of “Tolling” on Sandy Suit Deadlines