Sandy was a national tragedy, and families should be focusing on recovering, not fighting with their insurance companies. Unfortunately, some insurance companies have used natural disasters as an excuse to gouge their customers. Less than two months ago, class action litigation against insurance companies relating to Hurricane Katrina settled for $61 million.
We certainly hope that insurance companies will do the right thing this time around. However, you can’t always trust insurance companies to do the right thing. One area where it pays to be watching your insurance company very closely is deductibles. Because Sandy was not a hurricane when it reached land in New York, Governor Cuomo publicly stated that “homeowners will not have to pay hurricane deductibles” to their insurance companies. However, there is a good chance that some insurance companies may wrongly charge New Yorkers for hurricane deductibles.
If your insurance company forces you to pay hurricane deductibles despite the fact that Sandy was not a hurricane in your area – or if your insurance company uses Sandy as an excuse to otherwise break the law – then your legal rights may have been violated.
Please contact us to discuss your legal options.