Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog

Statutes of limitations are unforgiving. Insurance companies may continue discussing a claim, asking for more information, reconsidering portions of a denial, or suggesting that the file remains open. Meanwhile, the courthouse clock may be steadily ticking. Maryland generally provides an insured three years to file a breach of contract lawsuit against a property insurance com...

Chantal M. Roberts has written an excellent article, “The Peril of Misinterpretation,” 1 that every property claims professional should read. Her central message is simple, but it is too often ignored. She argues that an adjuster cannot properly determine coverage by reading one exclusion, quoting several pages of policy language, and simply closing the file. Instead, …

This is the second of a two-part series examining lead contamination following the Los Angeles fire. The first part was Lead Does Not Disappear in the Smoke: What Scientific Research Is Finding Inside Standing Homes. The first article addressed the science. Caltech researchers found that lead and other heavy metals traveled with the Eaton Fire …

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This is the first of a two-part series examining lead contamination following the Los Angeles Fires of 2025. This article addresses the developing science. The second will examine what that science requires from insurance companies investigating and adjusting smoke, soot, and ash claims. A recent Caltech Watson Lecture should be required viewing for anybody involved …

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In June 2026, Javier Delgado and I published “The Field Inspection Gap: A Growing Structural Risk in Claims Handling” in Claims Journal. 1 That article examined the loss of experienced field adjusters as an operational problem for insurers and risk managers. From the policyholder’s perspective, the consequences are more immediate. When the first inspection is …

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