In a decision filed January 7, 2014 (available here), the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit discussed the effect of he insureds’ failure to timely file a proof of loss in connection with their flood insurance claim. in reversing the district court’s decision granting summary judgment in favor of the insureds, the Eighth Circuit held that insureds are barred from recovering any amounts under a flood insurance claims that are not asserted in a timely submitted proof of loss. Although the insureds were granted additional time to file their proof of loss due to the vast scope of the flood in question, this period typically expires just 60 days from the date of the flood. Proper owners should beware of the mandate to file a timely and complete proof of claim, particularly in flood claims, in light of this decision.
Importantly, this was a flood loss claim covered by a federally-administered insurance program, and therefore is subject to regulations that played a factor in the decision. This case almost certainly would have been decided differently if it were decided under Minnesota law. Insurance carriers in typical property-damage claims (and other kinds of claims) in Minnesota often have insurance policies mandating that insureds submit proofs of loss before they may recover under the policy, but frequently that requirement does not arise until and unless the carrier requests the proof of loss. Moreover, if the proof of loss is not timely submitted by the deadline set by the policy, there may be arguments that the insured can still pursue a recovery if there was no harm to the insurance company as a result of waiting a little longer to receive the formal proof of loss. Still, it can be important for insureds in Minnesota, even on non-flood claims, to prepare a complete proof of loss and timely submit it to the insurance company. In a lawsuit to enforce an insurance policy, it is possible for a court to deny a recovery to the insured if the insured has failed to submit the proof of loss when it is required under the policy.
Even though there are different standards applicable to the claims process for federally-managed flood insurance policies, the Eighth Circuit certainly did the insureds in this case no favors. Although the insureds had clearly asserted the intent to claim nearly $50,000 in additional coverage, the proof of loss, which was filled out by the adjuster for the insurance company, didn’t include these amounts. The insureds again reiterated their desire to claim the additional loss, and were told they could “always submit a supplemental claim for additional damages,” even though there was a deadline to do so which was less than a month away. Later, the adjusters told the insureds that their request for the additional coverage was, in fact, denied and that they had one year to commence a lawsuit to pursue the disputed portion of the claim. Again, the imminent deadline that would bar them from commencing such a suit was not mentioned. The Court held that it was the insureds’ job to make sure they prepared a complete proof of loss and to make sure they complied with applicable deadlines.
The Eighth Circuit’s decision today wasn’t incorrect in asserting that the insureds had the final responsibility to timely submit a claim for the full amount of the loss they hoped to recover, but the trial court had held that the insurer had engaged in “affirmative misconduct,” and the Eighth Circuit was dismissive of this finding. The Eighth Circuit held that the communications from the adjusters, who are identified to insureds as “independent adjusters” who will assist insureds with their claims, weren’t “legally inaccurate.” The Court cited extensively to the Code of Federal Regulations concerning these flood insurance claims to establish the extent of the insureds’ responsibility in this matter. However, the representations from these adjusters were incomplete, omitting information about prerequisites to the suit they were told they had one year to commence, under circumstances in which the insureds were clearly seeking information about how to preserve their ability to pursue the disputed portion of their claim and were led to believe they had received complete information about their options.
Despite some concerns about the Eighth Circuit’s dismissal of the insureds’ arguments about the communications surrounding the proof of loss involved in this case, it’s also still possible that the insurance adjusters properly denied the last $50,000 of the claim. The Eighth Circuit didn’t analyze that question as it was not the issue on appeal. The final outcome may have been the right one. But this case serves as an important reminder of two things: 1) While “independent” insurance adjusters are supposed to assist in determining all applicable coverage (as the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed in June 2013), insureds should beware that they are retained and paid by the insurance companies who have to pay on any claims that are approved and may have other agendas; and 2) there are technical requirements to the insurance claims process that, unfortunately, the typical property owner or manager may not understand or to which they may not have access.
This article was submitted by Matt Drewes, a Shareholder with Thomsen Nybeck. He is the head of the firm’s eight-member Community Association Representation Group and the firm’s Creditors’ Remedies Group, and practices in the areas of business and real estate litigation and transactions, employment law, construction litigation, community association law, debtor/creditor law, and insurance coverage. He has been included in several years of the annual list of Minnesota’s Rising Stars, and has been quoted in the Minneapolis StarTribune, Minnesota Lawyer, Habitat Magazine, and on various websites including Yahoo!Finance.com, Bankrate.com, MSN.com, HOALeader.com, and elsewhere on various legal issues involving construction litigation, community associations, real property, and insurance. He can be reached at mdrewes@tn-law.com or by phone at 952.835.7000.
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