{"id":904091,"date":"2025-03-13T16:05:15","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T22:05:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=904091"},"modified":"2025-03-13T16:05:19","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T22:05:19","slug":"insurance-appraisal-stop-forgetting-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/insurance-appraisal-stop-forgetting-about\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ninth Circuit Wants Everyone to Stop Forgetting About the Appraisal Provision"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Colin T. Kemp and Colin Davis | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.policyholderpulse.com\/ninth-circuit-appraisal-provision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Policyholder Pulse<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Policyholders, don\u2019t lose track of the appraisal provision in your insurance policies. At least that is what the panel in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.policyholderpulse.com\/files\/2025\/03\/50-Exch-Terrace-v-Mt-Vernon-Specialty-Ins-Co-9th-Cir-March-4-2025.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\"><em>50 Exch. Terrace LLC v. Mt. Vernon Specialty Ins. Co.<\/em><\/a>\u00a0seemed to be saying.\u00a0There, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court\u2019s dismissal of policyholder-plaintiff\u2019s case for non-payment of policy benefits due to lack of ripeness and standing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The policyholder (50 Exchange Terrace) purchased property insurance from its insurer (Mount Vernon). After frozen water pipes burst (causing water damage to the policyholder\u2019s property), the parties disputed the costs of repairs. The insurer paid the amount it deemed appropriate and demanded appraisal. The policyholder responded by filing suit, alleging that its insurer wrongfully withheld compensation while awaiting the outcome of appraisal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The trial court (and the Court of Appeal on review) disagreed. While it might be a creative way to suggest delay and bad faith (i.e., claiming the insurer withheld payment pending appraisal is precisely what the contract provided), the policy in question, like so many others, mandated appraisal in the event the parties disagreed about the amount of loss (which is what happened in this case). Indeed, 50 Exchange Terrace acknowledged the appraisal requirement, making it impossible for a court to determine damages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, the court made clear it was publishing the decision not because it was charting new territory but because the court was making a point: \u201cWe do not break new ground here. We have chosen to issue this decision as a precedential opinion in the hope of deterring or at least short-circuiting other similarly premature cases where the agreed insurance appraisal process has not yet been completed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision carries a multi-pronged moral. It\u2019s not enough that you \u201cdon\u2019t forget\u201d about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/insurance-appraiser-and-umpire-ethics\/\">appraisal<\/a>; don\u2019t disregard it, either. Finally, think about your complaint. Have you pled only causes of action that will get caught up in appraisal? Have you asserted declaratory judgment claims that raise more fundamental questions of interpretation, which should proceed regardless of appraisal? Think it over carefully, and, even better, consult with experienced coverage counsel to avoid these pitfalls and maximize available coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When one of your cases is in need of a construction expert, estimates, insurance appraisal or umpire services in defect or insurance disputes &#8211; please call Advise &amp; Consult, Inc. at 888.684.8305, or email <a href=\"mailto:experts@adviseandconsult.net\">experts@adviseandconsult.net<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colin T. Kemp and Colin Davis | Policyholder Pulse Policyholders, don\u2019t lose track of the appraisal provision in your insurance policies. At least that is what the panel in\u00a050 Exch. Terrace LLC v. Mt. Vernon Specialty Ins. Co.\u00a0seemed to be saying.\u00a0There, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court\u2019s dismissal of policyholder-plaintiff\u2019s case&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/insurance-appraisal-stop-forgetting-about\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">The Ninth Circuit Wants Everyone to Stop Forgetting About the Appraisal Provision<\/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":[10235],"tags":[9895,351],"class_list":["post-904091","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insurance-appraisal","tag-advise-consult","tag-insurance-appraisals","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Ninth Circuit Wants Everyone to Stop Forgetting About the Appraisal Provision - Advise &amp; Consult, Inc.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The decision carries a multi-pronged moral. 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