by
Brooke Gold Hasson
| Dec 10, 2015
As the state gears up for an early legislative session, we want to update Florida homeowners on one of the leading insurance issues needing to be addressed in 2016 – Assignment of Benefits abuse.
Bills addressing Assignment of Benefits abuse have
been filed the last three legislative sessions, but failed as a result of intense lobbying from trial attorneys and contractors who benefit from the scheme.
But state leadership is not giving up on protecting the rights of Florida homeowners. Senator Dorothy Hukill filed Senate Bill 596 on October
21, 2015. If passed, SB 596 would help stop these fraudsters in their tracks.
Under the Assignment of Benefits process, shady contractors working closely with trial lawyers require homeowners to sign a broadly worded contract before making repairs. Then, they overstate the repair bill and file hefty lawsuits against the policyholder’s
insurer.
We all pay the price for AOB abuse. Since 2000, Assignment of Benefits lawsuits have increased by 16,000 percent!
How bad is Assignment of Benefits abuse and how could it impact you? We’ve rounded up the latest updates on this disturbing trend harming Florida homeowners:
Published by Florida Politics | October 26, 2015
The James Madison Institute and R Street Institute released a policy brief last week, “Shoring Up Florida’s Property Insurance Market,” in which the organizations argue for the Legislature to pass reforms to “eliminate cost drivers
and ensure fiscal stability in an active storm season.” The policy brief also argues for lawmakers to reform the “assignment of benefits” regimen, “when a third party – such as a contractor or water-extraction company
– assumes a policyholder’s benefits and collects payments directly from the insurer…” Read More
Published by the Orlando Sentinel | October 26, 2015
An appeals court Monday pointedly said it is up to state lawmakers — not the court system — to tackle a controversial issue in the insurance industry known as “assignment of benefits.” The issue in the case involves homeowners
signing over policy benefits to contractors… Read More
Published by Johnson Strategies, LLC | October 9, 2015
Despite Governor Scott’s inaugural pledge that “…we WILL NOT ALLOW a small group of predatory lawyers to stalk the business community in search of deep pockets…”, it appears that’s exactly what’s happening.
At least with respect to residential property insurers a number of law firms seem to be working with way too many willing emergency remediators and “recruiters” in a massive “…litigation for profit scheme…"
Read More
Published by Johnson Strategies, LLC | August 3, 2015
Since the courts have punted AOB reform to lawmakers, we now know who, and to some extent how, to give consumers needed reforms. That doesn’t mean that the executive branch isn’t needed to assist. Indeed…it doesn’t mean
that its’ inaction or decision making, so far, isn’t partially responsible for the continuing consumer abuse... Read More
Published by Claims Journal | June 23, 2015
2015 has already been a brutal year for insurance companies which provide homeowners’ coverage in Florida. The problem for property insurers? No one is willing to take a firm position against the surge of Assignment of Benefits (AOB) lawsuits, which
are proliferating to the point where they are in danger of strangling insurers. The Courts are deferring to the Legislature but the Legislature is seemingly uninterested in making change… Read More
Roof Investigation Finds Questionable Wind Damage Claims
Published by Click Orlando | June 1, 2015
Storms are nothing new to Florida. But beware, there are roofers out there who talk homeowners into a new roof. A video shows a roofer purposefully ripping up shingles, scraping away some of the adhesive and outlining the “fake wind damage”
in chalk. A roofer created damage by spinning a dime on shingles attempting to show hail damage. Industry insiders call this “manufactured damage.”