Don’t take an insurance company’s denial of your hurricane damage claim as the final say. The skilled hurricane damage claim lawyers at Shamieh Law are ready to push back against insurers who deny your claim or offer you less coverage than you deserve. Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our team to ensure you know your full legal rights and options.
In recent decades, the hurricanes that have hit Louisiana have been so destructive that paying for the damage out of pocket is impossible for most people. For this reason, many Louisiana home and business owners purchase insurance, expecting their insurer to pay for repair and rebuilding costs in the event of a hurricane. Unfortunately, years later, thousands of property owners have yet to recover full and fair compensation because the companies they trusted failed to keep their promises.
It’s unfair for insurance companies to deny, delay, underpay, or make excuses when it comes to honoring their agreements with insureds, especially in the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes. If you have concerns about how your insurer is handling your claim, contact the Louisiana hurricane damage claims lawyers at Shamieh Law.
We will review your claim, make sure you know your rights, and develop a solid strategy to fight against the insurance company reneging on its promise to cover you in the aftermath of a storm. Our attorneys serve the community in Louisiana from our office in Lake Charles. Contact us today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.
Why Let Shamieh Law Handle Your Louisiana Hurricane Damage Claim
At Shamieh Law, we take great pride in our work helping people get back on their feet and rebuild their lives after serious life events and accidents. Our award-winning attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for our clients throughout Louisiana.
We largely owe our successful track record to our holistic approach to the cases we handle. At Shamieh Law, we practice “Winning With Awareness.” This means we focus on people, service, and results. This approach has also earned us recognition from numerous professional publications and organizations, including:
- Super Lawyers
- Texas Lawyer
- The National Trial Lawyers Top 100
- The Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- The American Institute of Personal Injury Attorneys
When trying to secure compensation through a hurricane damage insurance claim, you need a hardworking and compassionate team on your side. Our founding partner, Ramez Shamieh, was born and raised in Lake Charles, one of the areas most affected by Hurricane Laura in 2020. As a Louisiana native, he understands how significant claims like this can be for folks throughout our state. Under his leadership, we proudly serve our community and deliver excellent legal representation each and every time.
The Impact of Recent Hurricanes on Insurance Claims in Louisiana
Louisiana experienced four hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. This caused a surge in property damage claims, leaving insurance companies overwhelmed. For example, nine insurers recently went out of business in Louisiana. A dozen others have left the state.
Many insurance companies now don’t cover low-lying coastal areas. Those that do have doubled premiums for policyholders. Impacted individuals are now left to reduce their homeowners’ coverage, pay more, or go without insurance altogether.
Insurance Claims After Hurricane Ida
On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida, a Category-4 storm, landed near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. It made a path throughout the south, traveling at winds up to 150 mph. The storm wreaked havoc on both residential and commercial properties alike. The damage totaled $75 billion across impacted states.
As of September 2022, 478,417 storm damage claims had been filed. Jefferson, Orleans, Terrebonne, and St. Tammany parishes reported the highest numbers. Only 67 percent of these claims were paid out, while 10 percent had yet to be solved. A year later, survivors are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Some are still holding out in hopes of securing their insurance benefits.
Insurance Claims After Hurricane Laura
Hurricane Laura, a Category-4 storm, landed on August 27, 2020, at Cameron, Louisiana, just south of Lake Charles. The storm caused injuries, death, and widespread property damage throughout the region. Calcasieu, Rapides, and Beauregard parishes were most affected.
As of September 2021, 177,691 hurricane damage claims had been filed. All in all, 72 percent closed with payments. Meanwhile, 10 percent are still pending.
Hurricane Damage Insurance Claims and Insurer Bad Faith
An insurance company acts in bad faith when it wrongly denies, delays, or miscalculates your payments. Examples of bad faith include misrepresenting relevant policy provisions, altering applications without notice, and making misleading remarks insureds.
This behavior is prohibited by state law, allowing impacted insureds to pursue compensation from insurers for damages caused or worsened by their misbehavior. Common reasons an insurer may justify denying claims after a hurricane include:
- Failure to file a claim within the 180-day state deadline.
- Failure to mitigate additional hurricane damages that were preventable.
- Application for losses not covered by standard homeowners’ insurance, such as flood damages.
- Lack of proof of loss for your damages.
Whether or not these reasons are legitimate is another question and, in many cases, requires a close look by an experienced attorney. Shamieh Law can help.
What You Can Do to Get Your Full Insurance Benefits After a Storm
If you believe your insurance company is not handling your hurricane damage claim properly, you can file a complaint with the Louisiana Department of Insurance. There are a few other things you can do after a storm to help ensure you receive full insurance benefits for your damages, such as:
- Document your damages – Take extensive videos and pictures of the damage caused to your home, both inside and outside.
- Take measures to reduce additional damage – Make temporary repairs and take extra measures to prevent further damage to your property.
- Keep track of the receipts for temporary repairs – If you pay out of pocket, store the receipts and evidence of transactions between you and the contractor.
- Hire a licensed contractor – Hire only a licensed and insured contractor for temporary repairs or rebuilding. Also, be sure you sign a clearly worded and itemized contract for easy reference.
- File supplemental claims – If you discover more damages after receiving initial benefits, you can file a supplemental claim as many times as necessary until all damages are taken care of.
- Partner with a Louisiana hurricane damage claims attorney – Our lawyers have a deep understanding of Louisiana insurance law and know what it takes to push back when insurers attempt to deny your claim.
What Our Louisiana Hurricane Damage Claims Lawyers Can Do to Help
Although hiring a hurricane damage lawyer in Louisiana is not legally mandatory, having one can spare you endless back-and-forth negotiations with insurers eager to deny your claim. Let the skilled legal team at Shamieh Law put its extensive experience to work for you.
We will thoroughly investigate your situation, gather all evidence, calculate your damages, and present the strongest possible claim on your behalf. Our legal team has many years of experience helping folks in our community secure the full and fair compensation they deserve. We would be honored to do the same for you.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Hurricane Damage Lawyer at Shamieh Law
Surviving a hurricane is hard enough. You shouldn’t have to suffer the additional burden of an insurance company wrongfully diminishing the value of your property damage claim or denying it altogether. The Louisiana hurricane damage claims attorneys at Shamieh Law are committed to protecting the rights of hurricane survivors by pushing back against unscrupulous insurers.
Contact us by calling (337) 477-7222 or completing our online form. Your consultation is free, and you pay nothing unless we win your case.
