Category: Insurance Expert Witness
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Real Estate Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Undue Hardship
On September 24, 2024, Plaintiff Pharilyn Chhang filed the operative second amended complaint against Defendants West Coast and Sergio Madrigal, alleging causes of action under the Fair Housing Act (FHA), California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), wrongful eviction; invasion of private right to occupancy; and breach of duty. Plaintiff claimed that she is a disabled…
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Insurance Expert Not Allowed to Opine on the Actual Cash Value of the Home
On November 10, 2022, Kenneth and Phyllis Zerr perished in a house fire. Plaintiffs—the Zerrs’ children and Kenneth Zerr’s estate—alleged that the fire was caused by a defective dehumidifier produced by Gree. Defendants sought to call an insurance adjuster, Steven Weitz, to testify as to the value of the home, and its contents, before and…
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Roofing Expert’s Causation Opinion Excluded
This case arises out of an insurance claim (the “Claim”) Plaintiff Mike Nguyen submitted to Allstate seeking coverage under his homeowners insurance policy (the “Policy”) for damages to the roof and certain exterior components of his dwelling (the “Property”) that he said were caused by a hail storm that occurred on May 1, 2022 (the…
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Accounting Expert Was Not Allowed to Opine on Damages to Uninsureds
This case centers on a landslide that occurred in May 2017 in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Mount Adams. At the time of the landslide, Plaintiff Metropolitan Design & Development, LLC (“MDD”) was insured under a commercial liability policy with Defendant Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company (“Frankenmuth”). MDD performed construction work in the vicinity of the landslide…
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Insurance Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Legal Duties
Plaintiff Lorenzo Garcia alleged that he was lawfully stopped at a red light when the vehicle Kenneth Childress was driving collided with the vehicle Pasty Ration was driving, causing Ms. Ration’s vehicle to strike the rear of Garcias vehicle. Garcia further alleged that as a result of the accident he sustained permanent, disabling injuries requiring…
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Insurance Expert Not Allowed to Opine on the Cause of Death
Plaintiffs are the estate and heirs of Timothy Hunt, who was killed in a grain engulfment accident. Defendant is the insurance company who insured the farm (Butts Farms) where the accident occurred. Defendant denied coverage for the accident under the policy. Butts Farms assigned its claims to Plaintiffs as part of an arbitration and non-execution…
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Insurance Expert Not Allowed to Opine on Industry Standards
This action arises from an insurance claim related to a vehicle fire that occurred on May 31, 2024, in Arkansas while Plaintiff Anthony Nicholas was driving from Tennessee to Oklahoma. Plaintiff submitted a claim to Defendant Progressive Direct Insurance Company that same day. Plaintiff alleged that Defendant failed to handle the claim in good faith…
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Insurance Expert Allowed to Opine on Diagnostic Methods
This first-party property damage case arises from a dispute to insurance benefits related to a July 15, 2019 hailstorm. AMCO issued a policy of insurance (the “Policy”) to PTT Properties, Inc. for property located at 411 Sable Boulevard, 525 Sable Boulevard, 501 Sable Boulevard, and 14410 E. 6th Avenue, Aurora, Colorado 80111 (collectively, “the Property”).…
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Insurance Expert’s Breach-of-Duty Testimony Admitted
On May 19, 2023, Plaintiff John Gianacopoulos filed this action against Defendants Acuity, a mutual insurance company (“Acuity”), and Joyce Jackman & Bell, LLC (“JJB”), concerning a fire that occurred on September 12, 2022, at 1124 Saint Ann Street in Scranton, Pennsylvania (the “Scranton Property”). According to Plaintiff’s expert witness, James Stevenson, JJB breached its…
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Insurance Expert Was Allowed to Opine on Property Coverage Claims
Church Mutual renewed an insurance policy issued to Chabad of New Mexico on June 2, 2022, which covered certain real property owned by Chabad in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The policy includes a vacancy condition providing that if a building has been vacant for more than 60 consecutive days before a loss, coverage is limited.…
