October 2019
There is Still Time to File Hurricane Irma Insurance Claims Lawsuits

Hurricane Irma may seem like a distant memory, but some homeowners are still working on repairs to their property due to issues with receiving proper insurance benefits. The good news is that homeowners have five years from the date of the loss to file a lawsuit against the insurance companies in the event that their claim was undervalued or wrongfully denied.

Property owners should also be aware that the deadline to file (with the insurance company) notice of the original claim and/or any reopened or supplemental claim is only three years. Therefore, the best practice is to file suit within three years for any hurricane claims, which would mean that the deadline for most Hurricane Irma claims is September 9, 2020.

A year after Hurricane Irma hit, a homeowner failed to receive a single penny from her insurance carrier after filing her hurricane claim. The carrier claimed her damages were not caused by Hurricane Irma but were a result of wear and tear. After we sent our team of experts to inspect her property, we sued her insurance company for wrongfully denying her claim and she ended up with over $40,000 in her pocket.

Insurance policy benefits can be complicated matters. For one, the intricate details of insurance policies can be hard for homeowners to understand. Secondly, many homeowners trust that the insurance company is paying what is owed to them under their policies. Unfortunately, sometimes the benefit payouts are denied or underpaid, which means homeowners end up unfairly paying out of pocket to repair damages to their property. 

Homeowners insurance lawsuits filed after Hurricane Irma

After property owners file a claim, it may become necessary to obtain legal representation in ensuring that insurance carriers properly pay the claim in accordance with the terms of the policy.  Most insurance companies look for ways to undervalue or deny claims. For example, companies may cite that wear and tear played a role in the property damage, they may claim that faulty repairs that led to the damage, or they may underestimate the scope of the damages. In these instances, property owners may need to take legal action in order to recover what is rightfully owed to them. 

Homeowners insurance lawsuits are not uncommon in Florida, especially after a hurricane. For instance, it was reported earlier this year that Citizens Property Insurance Corp. was facing 14,901 pending lawsuits due to disputes including those stemming from Hurricane Irma property damage.  

If you believe your Hurricane Irma insurance claim was underpaid or wrongfully denied, contact a property insurance attorney. If they move forward in pursuing a claim against your insurance company, they will take the appropriate steps to investigate the case including sending engineers and contractors to do a thorough inspection of your home. After this process is complete, they will review their findings and determine if there is a viable claim. The next step will be to re-open the original insurance claim or file a lawsuit against the insurance company. There should be no cost to you for this process. Florida law requires insurance companies to pay attorney fees and to pay these fees separately as to not take any money away from your compensation. 

If you have further questions about property insurance claims, Panter, Panter & Sampedro, P.A. can be reached (305) 662-6178 or by clicking here to contact us.

In The News
Register for a FREE Halloween Gift Bag! We will mail it to you!
Halloween is almost here! ๐ŸŽƒ To celebrate, we are giving away free Halloween trick-or-treat gift bags over the next couple of weeks! Register for your gift bag before they run out!

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Thank you for your contributions to Bahamas Relief donation collection.
David Sampedro Recognized in 26th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America
In September, we dropped off the donations we collected for Bahamas Relief to the South Miami Police Department! Thank you to everyone who donated through us or otherwise. ๐Ÿ˜ƒ ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ธ
Congrats to David Sampedro for being recognized in the 26th Edition of The Best Lawyers in America! David was selected for his high caliber of work in the practice area of Medical Malpractice Law.
Upcoming Community Events
Track or Treat on Halloween
Dade Legal Aid's Annual Patently Impossible Project
Join us at Track or Treat on Halloween! On Thursday, October 31, the Panter, Panter & Sampedro team will be at one of our favorite local annual events from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Evelyn Greer Park. All ghosts, goblins, witches, and friends are invited to go โ€œtrackโ€ or treating in a safe and friendly atmosphere. During this annual Halloween event, the Parks and Recreation Department provides bounce houses, not-so-spooky games, costume contests and prizes, while local businesses provide treats for everyone. This is a free event. Overflow parking and shuttle transportation available at Suniland Park.
Save the date! Panter, Panter & Sampedro is proud to once again sponsor Dade Legal Aid's Annual Patently Impossible Project. You are invited to join us for the 10th annual event on Thursday, November 7 at Lab Miami.  
Upcoming NBI Seminars
Mark your calendars! Brett Panter will be presenting at the National Business Institute's two-day course, "Auto Injury Cases from A to Z" in Fort Lauderdale on November 21 and 22. On Friday, December 13 Mitch Panter and Josh Wintle will be speaking at the NBI seminar Plantiff's Personal Injury from Start to Finish in Miami. Register for these events at nbi-sems.com
From Our News Room
What damages can I seek in my personal injury lawsuit?

Before you can pursue a lawsuit, you have to begin with making a claim. A claim means that you have been injured in an accident due to the negligence of someone else and you're seeking damages. There are basically two types of damages. Learn more in this video with Mitch Panter
What is a catastrophic injury?

Catastrophic injuries are a specific type of personal injury. Catastrophic injuries alter someone's life in such a manner that is it is unrecognizable to what their life was like before the injury. 
David Sampedro entrevistado en El News Cafe 07/10/2019

๏ปฟDavid Sampedro habla del caso FIU Bridge Collapse en esta entrevista on El News Cafe.
Panter, Panter, & Sampedro | 305.662.6178 | PanterLaw.com

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