In Brooks v. Tenn. Farmers Mut. Ins. Co., 2014 Tenn. App. LEXIS 776 (Tenn. Ct. App. Nov. 26, 2014), an insured’s home was damaged by a tornado and an independent adjuster hired by the insurance company offered the homeowner $56,788 to resolve the claim. The homeowner disagreed with the estimate and refused to settle the claim for that amount.  Rather than paying what it admitted it owed, the insurance company gave the insured a check (which apparently contained release language above the space for the endorsement) for the amount of its estimate and suggested that the insured “take it or leave it.”  After considering the proof, the Court of Appeals held that the insurance company’s behavior was unfair and deceptive, justifying double damages under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act (note that this was a case that arose prior to the change in the law that protects insurance companies from lawsuits for violations of the TCPA).  Specifically, the court held that the “take it or leave it” statement was coercive and intended to mislead, that the disclaimer language on the check was a false statement, that it was coercive to make a smaller estimate on the house without a full examination of the damage, and that the insurance company had notice other issues not included within the estimate.

This case strikes close to home because it is a fairly common practice for insurance carriers to place release language on their checks, and many times insureds are duped into accepting the checks. Sometimes the insureds are just desperate to get some money to start repairs and other times they just don’t bother reading the fine print. Either way, I’ve always cringed when I see such a tactic because it flies in the face of an insured’s right to file a supplemental claim and an insurance company’s obligation to always pay what they owe without any requirement of a release.  The Brooks case should stop the practice in Tennessee, and those carriers that continue to engage in such unfair practices could subject themselves to extra-contractual damages for bad faith and/or punitive damages.

By the way, reading this case reminded me of Tennessee citizens’ loss of their rights under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act in insurance disputes.  Next time you talk to your state senator or representative, ask them how it makes sense that all businesses except insurance companies are prohibited from engaging in unfair or deceptive practices?  What is it about insurance companies that makes them immune from a law that was designed to stop the type of claims activity that was demonstrated in the Brooks case?  For the life of me, I can’t thing of a single reason how the 2011 legislation that removed the TCPA from policyholder’s available remedies in any way benefits the citizens of this State.  Perhaps someone out there will enlighten me.

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Photo of Brandon McWherter Brandon McWherter

J. Brandon McWherter is a Nashville-based lawyer and member of McWherter Scott & Bobbitt PLC, which has offices across the State of Tennessee and elsewhere across the Southeast.  Licensed in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi, he has dedicated his practice to assisting insurance…

J. Brandon McWherter is a Nashville-based lawyer and member of McWherter Scott & Bobbitt PLC, which has offices across the State of Tennessee and elsewhere across the Southeast.  Licensed in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi, he has dedicated his practice to assisting insurance policyholders with their claims against insurance companies, including claims for bad faith.

For well over a decade, McWherter’s practice has been focused almost exclusively on the prosecution of first party property insurance claims for policyholders.  His interest in this area of the law first started around 2003 when a tornado struck Jackson, Tennessee, where he lived and worked at the time.  Since then, McWherter has represented hundreds or thousands of policyholders whose claims have been underpaid or denied.  He advises and advocates for owners of commercial properties, industrial facilities, residential properties, churches, business owners, and other insurance policyholders.

Since he started counting in 2013, McWherter has assisted his clients in obtaining well in excess of One Hundred Million Dollars ($100,000,000) in settlements, awards, and jury verdicts against insurance companies.

In 2018, McWherter was inducted as a fellow in the American College of Coverage Counsel, which is an invitation-only organization designed to facilitate and encourage the association of lawyers who are distinguished for their skill, experience, and high standards of professional and ethical conduct in the practice or teaching of insurance coverage and extra-contractual law and who are dedicated to excellence in this area of practice.

McWherter has been featured as a “Super Lawyer” or “Rising Star” by SuperLawyers every year since 2010.  Since 2013, he has been selected each year  for inclusion in U.S News and World Reports’ The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Insurance Law.  He also enjoys an AV Preeminent ranking by Martindale-Hubbell for legal ability and ethical standards.

Mr. McWherter is a lifelong Tennesseean and received his law degree from the University of Memphis. While in law school, he was a member of the University of Memphis Law Review, and served on the Editorial Board as Notes Editor.

In advocating for clients, McWherter has trudged through fire scenes and crawled storm-damaged roofs, quizzed consulting construction experts and experts for hours on end, and deposed and cross-examined hundreds of adjusters, experts, consultants, and other professionals within the insurance industry.  He reads insurance policies nearly every day and has a working knowledge of the customs and practices of insurance companies in investigation, estimating, and payment of claims.  McWherter counsels clients on presentation of claims, assists in compiling the evidence necessary to validate the amounts owed, and then enforces his clients’ rights, if necessary, via the judicial system and other alternative dispute resolution options, such as appraisal.

Several of McWherter’s cases have developed the law governing insurance disputes in the State of Tennessee, most recently including the Tennessee Supreme Court’s 2019 decision in Lammert et al. v. Auto-Owners Ins. Co., which held that insurers may not depreciate the costs of labor in determining their actual cash value payment obligations when the policy does not clearly allow it.

When not working, you will usually find Mr. McWherter with his wife, Angela, and his two daughters. He is an avid golfer and a lifelong bass fisherman, neither of which he does as often as he would like.

Practice Areas

  • Representation of policyholders in claims and litigation against insurance companies
  • Bad faith insurance litigation
  • Insurance-based consumer class actions

Professional Associations

  • Tennessee Bar Association
  • Arkansas Bar Association
  • Mississippi Bar Association
  • Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
  • American Trial Lawyers Association (past member)
  • American Bar Association (past member)

Education

  • B.S.B.A. – Union University (1998)
  • J.D. – University of Memphis (2001)

Bar Admissions

  • Tennessee
  • Mississippi
  • Arkansas
  • Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
  • United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas