{"id":895096,"date":"2018-10-24T12:55:34","date_gmt":"2018-10-24T18:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=895096"},"modified":"2018-10-24T12:55:34","modified_gmt":"2018-10-24T18:55:34","slug":"attorneys-fees-homeowner-claims-insurance-companies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/attorneys-fees-homeowner-claims-insurance-companies\/","title":{"rendered":"Attorney\u2019s Fees And Homeowner Claims Against Insurance Companies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scott Topolski | Cole Schotz<\/a> | October 15, 2018<\/p>\n

Lawsuits by homeowners against their own insurance companies for failing to pay on damage claims that homeowners believe and argue are covered by their policies of insurance are quite common in Florida.\u00a0 Frequently these involve claims for water-related damages\u2014a typical example being a slow leak from piping in a kitchen or bathroom sink that is unknown to the homeowner but that occurs over an extended period of time and that ultimately causes damage to adjoining cabinets or perhaps even flooring.\u00a0 As a plumber who came to inspect such damage in my own house once remarked, when I asked him what all this meant, \u201cWater has to go somewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

A homeowner\u2019s insurance policy is, in its most basic form, a contract of insurance.\u00a0 Each party to any contract has certain rights, duties and obligations under the contract.\u00a0\u00a0 If a party breaches his or her contractual obligations, the other party may have a claim for damages.\u00a0 Under these circumstances, while other claims may exist, the homeowner\u2019s primary claim against her own insurance carrier, resulting from the carrier\u2019s refusal or failure to pay for damages that the homeowner maintains are covered by her insurance policy, is a claim for breach of contract.<\/p>\n

From a homeowner\u2019s perspective, one of the advantages that perhaps minimizes the risk of a lawsuit against her own insurance company is the one-way attorney\u2019s fee provision set forth in\u00a0Florida Statutes<\/u>\u00a0Sec. 627.428.\u00a0 Subsection (1) of this statute provides:<\/p>\n

Upon the rendition of a judgment or decree by any of the courts of this state against an insurer and in favor of any named or omnibus insured or the named beneficiary under a policy or contract executed by the insurer, the trial court or, in the event of an appeal in which the insured or beneficiary prevails, the appellate court shall adjudge or decree against the insurer and in favor of the insured or beneficiary a reasonable sum as fees or compensation for the insured\u2019s or beneficiary\u2019s attorney prosecuting the suit in which the recovery is had.<\/p>\n

Thus, if a homeowner sues her insurance company for failing to pay for a loss that the homeowner feels is covered by her policy and wins that lawsuit, she will be awarded her reasonable attorney\u2019s fees.\u00a0 If, however, the homeowner loses that lawsuit, she will not be required to pay the company\u2019s attorney\u2019s fees.\u00a0 That is why\u00a0Florida Statutes<\/u>\u00a0Sec. 627.428 is a one-way attorney\u2019s fee statute.<\/p>\n

If attorney\u2019s fees are awarded, those fees become part of the actual judgment under subsection (3) of\u00a0Florida Statutes<\/u>\u00a0Sec. 627.428.\u00a0 \u00a0In addition, if an appeal is filed and the homeowner prevails in that appeal, the attorney\u2019s fees associated with the appeal are recoverable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scott Topolski | Cole Schotz | October 15, 2018 Lawsuits by homeowners against their own insurance companies for failing to pay on damage claims that homeowners believe and argue are covered by their policies of insurance are quite common in Florida.\u00a0 Frequently these involve claims for water-related damages\u2014a typical example being a slow leak from… Continue reading Attorney\u2019s Fees And Homeowner Claims Against Insurance Companies<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[9895,142,94,3],"class_list":["post-895096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insurance-claims","tag-advise-consult","tag-attorneys-fees","tag-florida","tag-insurance-claims","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nAttorney\u2019s Fees And Homeowner Claims Against Insurance Companies - 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