Louisiana Wind Insurance Claims Attorney
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Louisiana Wind Damage Insurance Claims
Strong winds brought by storms like hurricanes and tornadoes can cause extensive property damage for businesses and homeowners. This is especially true for Louisiana residents, as we are no strangers to powerful storms. While you may feel a sense of security knowing that you pay expensive insurance premiums every month to protect against this type of damage, you can’t always be certain that your insurance company will make good on your claim. In fact, it is not uncommon for insurance companies to underpay or outright deny coverage for property damages to your home or commercial property. When this happens, never underestimate the power of an experienced attorney with a background in insurance law.
At Joubert Law Firm, our Baton Rouge insurance claim lawyers are skilled at navigating the complexities of the insurance claims process. We know what it takes to fight for our client’s rights to fair coverage following significant damage caused by strong winds. If you’re having trouble recovering the compensation you’re entitled to for repairs and replacements after a major storm, our Louisiana wind insurance claim attorneys can help. To schedule a free consultation with the dedicated legal team at Joubert Law Firm, give our office a call at (225) 761-3822 or complete our online intake form today.
Types of Wind Damage
High winds can cause anything from minor damage to a complete loss of your property or personal belongings. It can result in structural damage, broken windows, uprooted trees, damage from flying debris, roof damage, and more. Most commonly, the causes of winds strong enough to create such damage include natural disasters like tornados and hurricanes. Our great state has seen its fair share of both. We’ve seen firsthand the hurricane damage caused by storms like Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Laura, and Hurricane Ida, to name a few. We’ve also been subject to a number of tornadoes, many of which have left absolute destruction in their path.
Other Types of Homeowner’s Insurance Claims
Homeowners insurance is similar to car insurance in that you pay a certain amount to your insurance agency to protect against unforeseeable accidents, or in this case, a natural disaster.
Aside from wind damage claims, there are a number of other specific homeowners insurance claims we handle on a regular basis, including water and flood damage, hurricane damage, and hail damage.
Water Damage
Many people take out a water damage insurance policy to account for things like leaky roofs, water stains, burst pipes, ice dams, and more. At Joubert Law Firm, we have helped many property owners obtain the compensation they need to complete the necessary repairs they need following water damage of any kind.
Flood Damage
Believe it or not, water damage claims don’t actually cover flooding, as this is considered a separate event. Property damage claims for floods are specific to causes like heavy rain, hurricanes, storm surges, and other natural events. They cover things like structural damage and damage to personal property.
Hurricane Damage
The last thing you want to have to deal with while dealing with a hurricane’s aftermath is a dispute with your insurance provider. Even while we can track and get ready for these storms before they strike, there is often no way to predict the degree of devastation they will cause. That’s what hurricane damage claims are for. Broken windows, fallen power lines, badly damaged roofs, and uprooted trees are just a few examples of the kinds of destruction that might be left behind. Our Louisiana hurricane damage lawyers fight for the proper funding to fix and replace such harm and ensure our clients get the most out of their hurricane damage claim.
Hail Damage
Louisiana doesn’t see hail very frequently, but when it does, it may cause extensive damage to our property, including damage to our cars, roofs, and other kinds of property. Our Baton Rouge lawyers are ready to defend clients whose hail insurance claims are rejected or inadequately compensated.
Is There a Time Limit to File a Homeowner’s Insurance Claim in Louisiana?
Under Louisiana’s Revised Statutes § 22:1264, the time limit for the submission of proof of property damage arising from catastrophic events is 180 days. However, you should always file an insurance claim as soon as possible after identifying the damage to your home or business. The sooner you can get your claim filed, the better your chance at successfully recovering compensation.
Do Insurance Companies Pay Out for Wind Damage?
Whether or not your homeowner’s insurance policy covers wind damage depends on the language of your policy. While most policies do cover damage caused by high winds, there may be ambiguous language that your insurance adjuster may try to use to deny coverage. A Louisiana insurance claims lawyer can help by analyzing the terms of your policy and determining whether or not wind damage is covered.
What Are Common Tactics Insurance Companies Use To Avoid Paying Policyholders?
As we mentioned before, it is not uncommon for insurance adjusters to undervalue, stall, or deny claims. At the end of the day, your insurance company is a business that wants to save as much money as possible, even if that means using bad faith tactics to avoid paying out your valid claim. We often see this occurring when multiple people are filing claims at once, like when a massive storm such as a hurricane rocks the entire state, for example. This can mean paying out millions or even billions of dollars to property owners across the state, and as you might imagine, insurance companies want to avoid this at all costs.
Some of the common tactics insurance providers might use to avoid paying out your insurance policy include:
- Insisting that specific damages were not covered by the policy
- Claiming certain repairs are “unnecessary”
- Claiming that the damage was pre-existing or due to a lack of maintenance
- Delaying the payout of claims on the basis that there are “too many at once”
- Failing to provide a timely response to your claim
- Not paying the claim’s full value
- Asking for a multitude of unnecessary paperwork
- Claiming there is not enough evidence to support your claim
- Failing to conduct proper research
If your claim was denied or underpaid, you may be able to file an appeal under the premise of “bad faith” insurance. In cases where there is found to have been bad faith on the part of the insurance company, a policyholder may also choose to pursue a bad faith lawsuit against their insurer.
How Long Does an Insurance Company Have to Settle a Claim in Louisiana?
According to Louisiana R.S. § 22:1892, insurers must pay policyholders within 30 days of receiving proof of losses. The exact text reads that “all insurers issuing any type of contract […] shall pay the amount of any claim due any insured within thirty days after receipt of satisfactory proofs of loss from the insured or any party in interest. The insurer shall notify the insurance producer of record of all such payments for property damage claims made.” However, they rarely pay this quickly. Instead, they hid behind excuses to deny your claim or they try to offer you much less than you are entitlited to.
Our Louisiana Wind Insurance Claim Attorneys Help People Rebuild
While you are still attempting to rebuild your life after the destruction caused by wind damage, an experienced attorney from the Joubert Law Firm is prepared to guide you through the Louisiana property insurance claims process and to aggressively defend your rights. Our law office is willing to take every step necessary to obtain the highest amount of compensation on your behalf, including obtaining documentation of the losses suffered, proving the language of your policy includes this type of insurance coverage, gathering evidence of all damages, and negotiating with all parties. If settlement negotiations fail, we will also vigorously defend you in court until you receive the legal compensation you are entitled to to cover both permanent and temporary repairs and living costs.
Call Our Louisiana Wind Damage Attorneys at Joubert Law Firm Today
Whether you’re filing a wind, flood, or hurricane insurance claim, the Baton Rouge property damage claims lawyers at Joubert Law Firm can stand up against your insurance company and make sure they pay fair compensation so you can return to your life as it was before as soon as possible. We know what our clients deserve following a devastating storm, and we are prepared to fight for them to receive just that. With experience handling claims across Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, our attorneys have what it takes to make sure you get what you are entitled to. For a free initial consultation, contact the Joubert Law Firm by calling (225) 761-3822 or reaching out to us online today.
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