Originally Appeared On: SE Texas Record
HIDALGO COUNTY – The Davis Law Group recently secured a jury verdict of $72,000 on behalf of clients claiming State Farm refused to fully reimburse them for damages caused by a hailstorm.
In May 2014, the Rio Grande Valley home of plaintiffs Jose and Leticia Cantu was damaged by a wind and hail storm. As a result, they required a new roof and interior repair, according to a DLG press release.
The Cantus used the services of a public adjusting company, which grossly overstated the damages to the property. State Farm paid a small portion of damages, but then refused to negotiate, the press release states.
The Cantus hired DLG to sue State Farm. It was discovered very early in the case that the estimate obtained by the public adjuster was wrong. DLG quickly obtained a new estimate that alerted State Farm to the faulty estimate.
State Farm had paid $2,300 for repairs and argued that because the public adjuster estimate was wrong, the company was off the hook, the press release states.
On Dec. 13, a McAllen jury found State Farm liable, awarding the Cantus everything they asked for, which included $16,001 in actual damages, $36,000 in attorney’s fees, and $20,000 in the event State Farm appealed.
The jury also rejected State Farm’s argument that the Cantus claim should be ignored because the public adjuster estimate was excessive, according to the press release.
As reported by the Record, State Farm has been winning wind and hail cases at trial, so DLG says its recent string of trial victories is a win for all homeowners.
“State Farm is using the difficulty and stress of trial, combined with the costs of litigating an insurance case, to intimidate homeowners and plaintiffs lawyers into low ball settlements,” said Josh Davis, DLG’s founder.
“Thankfully, we have represented wonderful and deserving clients that refused to give-in to these tactics. And juries have seen that these are the actions of a big insurance company trying to systematically pump up its bottom line by underpaying smaller claims.”
