More Than 5000 Cases Resolved
Douglas E. Pennebaker is a former insurance defense lawyer with more than 25 years of experience. He understands how insurance companies operate.
We represented homeowners whose clay-tile roof was damaged by a wind and hailstorm. The insurer found damage to 298-tiles and advised it could not issue payment because the damages totaled approximately $9,000.00 and were below the insured’s deductible. The homeowners’ requested a re-inspection and, in response, the insurer retained an engineer who determined a mere 90-tiles were damaged. The insurer also alleged the policy excluded repairs for damage resulting from mismatching materials due to discontinued roof products. The insurer demanded an appraisal limited to the 90 damaged tiles and previously acknowledged interior damage. The appraisal panel ultimately allowed for a full roof replacement and repairs to the interior. The insurer issued an appraisal payment in excess of $142,000.00 and the case settled for an additional payment post-appraisal in excess of $14,000.00.
We represented homeowners that suffered wind and hailstorm damage to their metal roof, the exterior of their home, detached garage, and personal property. The insurer agreed the homeowners sustained covered storm damage but represented the damages totaled approximately $5,764.00, which was below their deductible of $9,964.00. Additionally, the insurer refused to pay for damage to the roof based on a new policy endorsement excluding coverage for cosmetic damage to the insureds’ metal roof. This was the first time the insureds were informed their policy contained this exclusion. The case settled for more than $99,000.00.
Pennebaker Law recently helped a family from Eagle Pass who was struggling to get their insurance company to properly pay a storm claim for their small, commercial business. Despite the family’s best efforts, the insurance company had only paid a few thousand dollars on their wind and hail claim. After becoming frustrated with the insurance company’s refusal to properly pay the claim, the family hired our firm. We retained the proper experts to document the full extent of property damage. After filing suit on behalf of the family-owned business, the insurance company agreed to mediate the case prior to trial. At mediation, we amicably settled the case for $280,000 without having a single court hearing or taking a single deposition.
Fire case where we assisted the retired policyholders on a fire loss claim for their retirement home. We guided the insured through the appraisal process where we recovered the entire policy limits for all available coverages including the structure, personal property, and additional living expenses (nearly $300,000). The insurer had only paid 21k before our firm’s involvement in the case. After a successful Appraisal, we reached a substantial confidential settlement that included penalties and punitive damages above and beyond the insurance company’s policy limits. Total recovery approximately 24 times the insurance company’s original payment on the claim.
Assisted San Angelo client achieve a $172,000 insurance appraisal award for structural damage to his commercial property caused by a vehicular impact. Prior to our involvement, the insurance company refused to pay the policyholder any more than $16,000. The appraisal award was approximately 10 times the insurance company’s original payment on the claim before the policyholder hired our firm.
A small business owner in Cameron County made a claim for damage to her commercial property caused by Hurricane Dolly. The insurance company acknowledged coverage but disputed the number of damages that would be covered by the policy. Prior to hiring our firm, the insurance company was only willing to pay $48,000. We were able to utilize the Appraisal provision of the insurance policy to obtain a prompt resolution of the claim without even filing suit. After helping the insured hire the right experts to document her claim, the business owner received an appraisal award of $166,505.00. After litigating the case, the client recovered an additional $170,000 for a total of $336,505.00.
A major national carrier refused to pay for hail damage to a tile roof in the Dominion neighborhood. After another attorney declined the cases, we filed suit and won an appraisal award for the client in the amount of $180,000, after which the insurer paid $195,000 to resolve the case.
A major national carrier admitted that a recent storm caused hail damage to a metal roof. However, they refused to cover the damage, citing a “cosmetic roof exclusion” as the basis for denial. After filing suit, we argued that, even though there were no roof leaks, the damage was more functional damage, and more than merely cosmetic. We recovered $140,000 on behalf of the client.
A major national carrier initially denied the claim for storm damage to the wood shake roof, paying zero. After filing suit, we recovered 133,000 on behalf of the client.