June 2009

 I ran across a good article (pdf) this evening by Robins H. Ledyard entitled Treatment of Insurance Claims under Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.  Published in the Federation of Regulatory Counsel Journal in the Fall of 2008, the article gives a short synopsis of our Supreme Court’s analysis of TCPA claims in the…

On the topic of whether independent adjusters should be held liable under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act (see my prior post here and Parks’ rebuttal here), a case commonly cited by defendant insurance companies and adjusters is Crossley Const. Corp. v. National Fire Ins. Co. of Hartford, 237 S.W.2d 652 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2007). …

I cannot count the number of times I have had an insured’s lawyer misunderstand the difference between these two proceedings. Depositions and examinations under oath are different activities. Cases recognize that “depositions and examinations under oath serve different purposes.” Nationwide Ins. Co. v. Nilsen, 745 So. 2d 264, 268 (Ala. 1999); accord Goldman v. State …

Magistrate Ed Bryant (W.D. Tenn.) recently issued a Report and Recommendation in one of my cases in which he held that Tennessee law allows an independent adjuster to be held liable under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act.  The defendant independent adjuster argued that my client failed to state a claim under the TCPA because the…

You may have noticed I haven’t posted any entries for a few days, but I’ve got a good excuse – – sunny, beautiful Florida. 

While I was out basking in the sun, banging a golf ball from sand-trap to sand-trap, and watching my little girls explore the ocean, John Day made reference to our new blog at…

One of the issues that arises far too often in cases I handle is lack of understanding of the purpose or role of documents called “Certificates of Insurance.” A “Certificate of Insurance” is not an insurance policy – it has no insuring provision, no exclusions, and typically no terms or conditions. These “Certificates” are usually issued by…

While I acknowledge Clift v. Fulton Fire Insurance Company, 315 S.W.2d 9 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1958), cert. denied, provides a rule for allowing valuation of property under a somewhat “elastic” standard of “value to the owner,” this ambiguous standard should not apply where the valuation provisions of property coverage are specifically set forth…

The Tennessee legislature has listed certain certain practices which constitute unfair acts or practices in the business of insurance.  See T.C.A. § 56-8-105.  The statute, known as the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act, creates standards and rules by which insurance companies must abide when settling claims.  For example, the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act…