Last week, we looked at Magistrate Judge York’s October 2021 opinion in Smith v. State Farm, in which State Farm was ordered to proceed with an appraisal of the loss as properly invoked by Ms. Smith. As a refresher, Ms. Smith’s home was damaged by a March 3, 2020 storm, and State Farm agreed she suffered
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Recent Developments – Appraisal in Tennessee, 2021 (Part 3)
Over the past few posts, I’ve explored a couple of recent opinions from federal courts in the Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee that explored the appropriate use of appraisal in resolving disputes about the “scope” of a loss. For this next installment, we move to West Tennessee for yet another recent case on the
Recent Developments – Appraisal in Tennessee, 2021 (Part 2)
Earlier this week I posted about the recent Ingram v. State Farm case in which a federal court in the Eastern District of Tennessee obliterated State Farm’s defense that appraisal was inappropriate for disputes about “scope.” The Ingram case was just one of several recent opinions from around the State of Tennessee concerning insurance appraisals in
Recent Developments – Appraisal in Tennessee, 2021 (Part 1)
In 2021, courts across Tennessee issued a handful of decisions that continue to define the nuances of the Tennessee Court of Appeals’ opinion in Merrimack v. Batts that is now twenty years old. Suffice it to say the landscape is quickly changing and I’m excited to share the new developments. The next few posts will explore these
OSHA Compliance is the Law . . . But it’s Not an Ordinance or Law for Coverage Purposes
The Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed into law in 1970 by President Nixon, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was simultaneously created to implement, administer, and enforce its requirements. OSHA’s mission is to “assure safe and healthy working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by
Tips for TN Policyholders Impacted by the March 3, 2020 Storm
The storm has passed and a new wave of obstacles and hurdles are sure to follow in its wake. Out-of-state adjusters have already flooded the area, and not all of them know and understand policyholders’ rights in the State of Tennessee. Here’s a few tips on a few areas that we at McWherter Scott &
Massive Tornado and Hailstorm Hits Tennessee
TN Supreme Court Rules Labor Cannot be Depreciated
For the past few years, I’ve been involved in several labor depreciation cases around the Southeast, including one right here in Tennessee against Auto-Owners. The threshold legal question in that case, Lammert et al. v. Auto-Owners Mutual Ins. Co., was whether an insurance company can depreciate the cost of labor when determining its actual cash
An Outline for Dealing with the Judicial Estoppel Defense
Insurers often assert the doctrine of judicial estoppel as a defense to first party claims when the insured filed bankrupcty within a few years prior to an insured loss. The most common scenario is a homeowner files bankruptcy, and utilizes the amount exempted by bankruptcy law as the value of his or her personal property
Tennessee’s Elusive Standard for Valuing Household Personal Goods
A common question around my office is, “How do I know what values to claim for my personal goods?” Fortunately, a 1958 Tennessee Court of Appeals opinion provides the answer, but it is not one that is widely disseminated by adjusters to policyholders. In Tennessee, household goods, furniture, clothing and other articles acquired for personal