Insurance Dispute Lawyer Blog

How to report Chinese drywall claims

Published on: July 2, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the overarching body responsible for product reliability and keeping dangerous products out of the country, is the governmental source to make claims to regarding Chinese drywall. While the CPSC has not been able to find a definitive way in which home or property owners can know if their drywall is the same faulty product imported by China, there are several telltale signs. Physical symptoms of exposure to Chinese drywall include:

itchy eyes

respiratory problems

City publishes helpful hurricane preparedness guide

Published on: July 1, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

As a heartening sign that lessons of the past have been learned, one city’s government has published a hurricane preparedness guide that is a solid tool for anyone in the Gulf Coast region to utilize.

Available off of their website, the City of Boynton Beach has published a PDF that walks users through how to be best prepared in the event of a storm. As they put it

The best way to cope with a hurricane is to prepare a plan in advance. The 2009 Hurricane Preparedness Guide is a compilation of the best advice from experts at the City of Boynton Beach, the American Red Cross, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other knowledgeable sources. It was written specifically for residents of Boynton Beach and contains important telephone numbers and locations of Publix stores and gasoline service stations with generators

Houston’s museums prepare for hurricane season

Published on: June 30, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

Olivia Flores Alvarez had an entertaining blog post about how museums in the Houston area are preparing for hurricane season that’s worth a read. Available here, the article takes a lighter approach to the issue of tropical storm preparation for buildings in the Gulf Coast region that house priceless works of art.

An excerpt

Hurricane Ike, which pretty much shut Houston down for a couple of weeks, didn’t affect the Aurora Picture Show’s programming schedule last year. “We continued with the screening we had planned,” says Tepper. “The city was still a wreck and the turnout was extremely modest, but we went ahead. We actually served Hurricanes, the drink, during the show. A lot of people still weren’t driving after the storm, so it was just people from the area. Everyone came over; we had air-conditioning and Hurricanes. It actually was a fun, little community event.”

FEMA speaks out on importance of flood insurance

Published on: June 29, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

FEMA recently came out to publicly encourage residents of Florida and the Gulf Coast to get flood coverage, regardless of how susceptible to risk they may be. In doing this, the government is bringing more attention to the need for proper insurance policies and to prevent having to help out thousands of people who thought it ‘could never happen to them.’

Matt Gilmour of the Tallahassee Democrat highlights this important step on the part of FEMA

With hurricane season under way, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is reminding Florida residents about the importance of flood insurance, even if they don’t live in high-risk areas.

Houston boasts new Hurricane center

Published on: June 28, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

On the campus of the University of Houston, a new storm preparation center will work to educate students and area locals on the effects and dangers of hurricanes while developing technology to predict and innovate protection against such storms. Justin Horne of KIAH reports

The Texas Hurricane Center for innovative technology was developed last year at the University of Houston. The center was created with ideas, in mind, to combat the effects of hurricane season. And now researchers are ready to make these ideas a reality.

Dr. Vipulanandan, a civil engineering professor at the University of Houston, has been working with his engineering students to develop this technology.

Speculation on how to save the insurance industry

Published on: June 27, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

The recent events in Florida and the exit of various insurance companies from areas surrounding the Gulf Coast have raised a lot of speculation on how to preserve competition within these states while at the same time not forcing the government’s hand to bail out in the event of a disaster. About a month ago The Florida Times-Union wrote on this topic and how drastic the decisions may be to keep a level playing field for residents.

Florida’s property insurance system is a ticking time bomb, one that could wreak havoc on the state’s economy when – that’s when, not if – the next hurricanes hit.

This is because the state-run catastrophic fund, which shares property insurance risks with companies that sell policies here, is egregiously underfunded.

Making yourself familiar with your insurance policy and coverage

Published on: June 26, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

With hurricane season in full swing, it is important for home and property owners to be fully aware and clear about their insurance and coverage, or lack thereof, that it provides. Whether living in a flood plain or tucked safely in a non-flooding area, residents of the Gulf Coast can be affected all the same by a hurricane by the list of dangers such as wind or rain damage. Going through your policy and making sure the proper cover necessary to properly rebuild in the event of storm damage is there will help prevent nasty surprises should the unthinkable happen and serious destruction befalls you.

Tim Engstrom from Southwest Florida’s News-Press has more

Most homeowners – especially those outside high-hazard coastal zones – can find coverage, but it is likely to be with a newer, less-familiar company, said Randy Duncan, an agent with the Insurance Depot of Lee County in Cape Coral.

Chinese drywall problems continue to build

Published on: June 25, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

As Chinese drywall lawsuits develop and people continue to struggle with the hidden dangers within their walls, developments continue to mount that are relevant for anyone facing these issues. Tampa Bay Online has done a good job summarizing the issues facing homeowners across the United States in regards to Chinese drywall and its corrosive capacity to harm the health and property of homeowners.

The Florida Department of Health has received more than 450 complaints from homeowners. Several federal agencies, including the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, are investigating.

The drywall was used in as many as 100,000 homes across the nation during the housing boom and emits a corrosive gas that damages appliances, gives off a rotten-egg stench and may cause health problems.

Galveston rebuilding as 2009 Hurricane season begins

Published on: June 24, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

The Associate Press reported earlier this month on recovery and rebuilding efforts going on in the city of Galveston as residents try to move past Hurricane Ike and into the new future of the town. Facing its first hurricane season since Ike, the residents emotions fluctuate as they try to bring their city back from the brink of complete destruction the hurricane season brought upon it last year.

Another hurricane season is the last thing Galveston wants to think about after last year’s devastation from Hurricane Ike.

“Hurricane season got here a lot quicker than I thought it would. I’m still busy working on my own house, trying to get back in there,” said Steve LeBlanc, manager of the island city 50 miles southeast of Houston. “But we are busy getting prepared for another season.”

Chinese drywall seminar coming to New Orleans in July

Published on: June 23, 2009 | By Berniard Law Firm

A seminar dealing with the Chinese drywall fiasco going on across the Gulf Coast will be held July 31, 2009, in New Orleans, LA. Feating a host of speakers dealing with a wide assortment of issues relating to the Chinese drywall issue, the conference is billed as “a practical, one-day seminar for attorneys, engineers, architects and contractors” looking to explain health effects property damage, exploring claims and litigatory issues, demonstrating strategies for the matter and discussing the various complexities of the cases.

The Berniard Law Firm’s own Jeffrey Berniard will present on the matter of “Exploring Potential Liability for Damages Caused by Chinese Drywall Problems” with fellow attorney Scott Wolfe of the Wolfe Law Group. The lecture will cover matters relating to what parties are facing potential liability exposure, theories of recovery for construction defects, defenses and crossclaims and damages.

As part of the seminar, various different learning credits are available for participating professionals as part of continued learning education requirements. This includes 5.0 approved CLE hours for attorneys from the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas.