Areas of Practice - Law Offices of Michelle Le

LAW OFFICES OF MICHELLE LE, PLLC

16170 Jones Maltsberger

Suite 108

San Antonio, TX 78247

210-491-2054

Residential home ownership is the BIGGEST financial commitment to many individuals, so it makes sense why having the proper insurance policy that mitigates further economic hardship is so important for piece of mind.

When unforeseen events occur causing property losses such as inclement weather (hail, wind, hurricane, tornado, lightning, and other natural disasters), fire, or theft, policyholders expect the insurance company to honor their commitment and cover those losses. Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t always see it that way and can leave the policyholder with a financial nightmare. Insurance companies know most homeowners cannot afford to cover the hefty bill to remediate these denied claims, giving them leverage to deny future losses.

The Law Offices of Michelle C. Le understands the tactics insurance companies use to take advantage of homeowners to unreasonably deny, underpay or delay claims. We have helped homeowners across multiple states to resolve these disputes and recover the benefits rightfully owed to them. For further information about your specific loss, please see the additional areas of practice. If you do not see your loss listed, please call us for a free consultation.

Commercial Properties typically are the lifeblood of policyholders’s businesses simply because property losses can impact their operations and how they generate income. These policyholders pay significantly higher premiums in order to have their risk of loss (both asset and income) covered. Insurance companies often fight these claims harder due to the sizable monetary impact to their bottom line, as well as knowing commercial policyholders can sustain a heavier financial burden than residential policyholders.

The Law Offices of Michelle C. Le recognizes the financial implications commercial property owners face when left to pay such a large loss out of pocket in order to prevent operational downtime and other business interruptions. We have the experience serving businesses, HOAs, and churches in resolving their claim disputes and hold insurance companies accountable for their contractual obligations. Even if you have experienced a loss and have already done repairs, we can still review your claim and ensure all damages have been assessed and properly paid to you.

For further information about your specific loss, please see the additional areas of practice. If you do not see your loss or particular issue listed, please call us for a free consultation.

Wind, windblown debris, storm surge, and extensive flooding can all be driving factors that cause damage to homes and businesses. Hurricane and tropical storm claims can be confusing because some of the damages may fall under the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) or other flood policy and some may fall under your private insurance policy related to the wind caused damages. If your damages are classified incorrectly, such as flood versus wind, it could affect how much and from whom you can recover benefits owed.

We understand that determining the type of loss you have suffered, and under which type of coverage you have in order to provide proper notice of your claim accordingly can cause headaches during the claim process. That is why it is important for an experienced insurance attorney to review your claim. We can help you determine the type of loss you have suffered, review your policy, determine if your claim should’ve been covered under your policy and help recover benefits on the damages you’ve suffered.

Windstorms can cause severe damage to any property, including roof structure damage, related interior leaks, and fences. Wind damages can also result in unseen damages such as unsealed shingles that can cause future problems if not properly assessed. Some wind damages can go unnoticed during initial inspection of your property after a storm has occurred, especially interior leaks. Wind related damage is covered under most policies, but it can be difficult for the untrained eye to properly assess the extent of the wind damages on roof structures.

Insurance companies and their adjusters commonly argue that un-creased shingles due to wind are not in fact wind damages or they downplay the extent of the wind damages in order to deny or underpay claims. In addition, they consistently deny interior leaks citing wind-driven rain was the cause without determining whether or not wind first lifted the shingles or other roofing materials.

These unseen damages can result in significant future problems such as compromised decking and weatherproofing materials, causing interior leaks, swelling of doors and window frames, cracks, just to name a few.

Insurance companies know that many policyholders will take their assessments at face value and the policyholder will end up footing the bill on future problems believing that the damages are not covered under their insurance policy. The Law Offices of Michelle C. Le, PLLC has extensive experience in windstorm claims allowing us to help our clients get the compensation they are owed.

Evidence of hail damage typically occurs on roofs, roofing “soft metal” components, siding, window beading, gutters and downspouts, and wood structures. But just like wind related damages, insurance companies downplay the extent of the damages or argue they do not fit the conditions necessary to accept coverage for a claim such as the damages being only cosmetic, someone walked on the roof incorrectly cause “foot fall” damage, or the hail was too small to cause direct physical damage.

Hail can cause problems with the weather proofing materials on roofs that may not be visible right away. If the damages are not properly addressed and fixed, you can end up with much greater problems down the line such as interior water leaks, mold and deterioration of soffits and decking. These health and safety concerns are not a priority for your insurance company because they want to hold you responsible for mitigating your damages even if they do not properly pay you. It is important for an experienced attorney to assess your case and help you fight for what you are rightfully owed.

Water losses can cause expensive and extensive damages to your property due to the complexity of determining where the leak occurred and how to access the damages in order to properly repair it. Insurance companies know that it can be difficult to determine this and typically put the burden on you to investigate and provide them with a determination on the cause of the loss. If you do not have someone assisting you who understands policy coverages, you could end up with a denied or underpaid claim.

It is important to understand if your insurance policy has any exclusions on water losses that leave you exposed to being uninsured or underinsured. Policy holders with proper coverages should be protected against certain water-related damages, but insurance companies know that it can be difficult to interpret insurance policies related to water losses.

With our extensive experience, we understand how to interpret insurance policies to determine if your water loss is covered. Further, if your loss is covered, we can determine if your insurance company is unfairly denying you coverage.

Fire, lightning and smoke damage claims typically are a complex and confusing process because they fall under several different coverages such as Dwelling/Structure, Loss of Use, Additional Living Expenses, Business or Personal Property, and Inventory Loss. When you have business, inventory or personal property losses, it is imperative that you fully document these items before you throw them out because typically the insurance company puts the burden on you to provide a proper accounting of these items.

In addition, many insurance companies open a SIU (Special Investigations Unit) investigation to determine if the loss was caused by arson or some other fraud. During these SIU investigations, many times they request a recorded statement or an examination under oath from you. It is vital that you have an experienced representative on your side so that you not only get the benefits you are owed, but to ensure that you don’t get slapped with an accusation of arson or fraud.

Business Interruption coverage disputes often arise in commercial property claims. This is because in order to save costs or provide more affordable coverage, some insurance companies who sell commercial insurance policies either exclude or severely limit what is covered in this type of loss. Other disputes arise when the insurance company makes their policy language so vague that they can get away with denying claims as has happened with many Covid-19 Business Interruption cases.

For help or advice in any of these areas, you need an experienced insurance attorney to review your policy and claims. The Law Offices of Michelle C. Le has a unique advantage when reviewing business interruption claims, having an experienced Finance & Accounting expert on our team with over 14 years of experience working in various corporate industries such as aircraft, oil and natural gas, and meat processing. This allows us to properly assess the financial loss that has impacted your business and fight to recover those benefits lost.

There are many types of losses and additional protections that insurance policies cover that you may not even realize. These losses include but are not limited to:

Collapse
Theft, Vandalism, and malicious mischief
Riot or Civil commotion
Vehicles causing damage to your property
Debris removal
Trees, shrubs, plants and lawn replacement
Falling objects
Weight of ice, snow or sleet

We understand it can also be confusing on what your insurance covers regarding these losses and additional protections. Other policies can be confusing because they do not list specific types of loss, and instead they will state the policy will cover “direct physical loss” unless excluded or limited within the policy. If you are unsure if your policy includes coverage on the damages you suffered, please call us today for a free consultation.

Residential Insurance Claims

COMMERCIAL INSURANCE CLAIMS

TYPES OF LOSS

WATER DAMAGE

law offices of michelle le, PLLC