Austin Texas resident Scott Glover in February 2021 had 60 gallons of water
pumped from his bedroom floor as a result of
broken water pipes during the Winter Storm Uri. "My bed, my clothes, and many of my
personal belongings were all flooded with brown contaminated water that
came through my walls during the freeze. We were under a county water
ban so all of this water was bad or moldy" says Glover. The resident
immediately contacted his renters insurance company,
RVOS Insurance to make a damage claim on his current policy.
"RVOS adjuster Brian McMurray contacted me and went over my
property damages that I had submitted to them. McMurray made several aggressive comments such as 'you need
to take a real good look at these damages you have listed because during
my visit I WILL take your guns (listed), your guitars (listed) and your
computers (listed) to salvage so that RVOS can recoup any expenses that
we may have to pay' " says Glover. "I was appalled at these
statements during a time of crisis. A time when an insurance company that
I have been paying premiums for, for over 12 years made towards me in
regards to my claim. I felt like I was doing something wrong by making
a damage claim, when I indeed just watched my apartment maintenance team
drain 60 gallons of water out of my residence at 1 am in the morning while
it was 9 degrees outside. The thought of my insurance company coming into
my water damaged residence and proceeding to take my personal property
that they wanted to sell, was ludicrous".
Glover contacted Houston home insurance lawyer Eric Dick at
Dick Law Firm who then immediately began representing him with his case vs RVOS. "Eric
Dick confidently informed me that it is
illegal for any insurance adjuster to come onto your property and take
your belongings from you. If RVOS did attempt to take my belongings for salvage, for me to call
the local police department. Dick stated that this was a scare tactic
that insurance companies use to discourage customers from pursuing a damage
claim and that I can aggressively fight this for the damages that were
due."
Under representation of Dick Law Firm in 2021, RVOS paid Glover the full
policy limit of his property water damage claim due to frozen pipes. "It's
sad to think of how many people go through this without someone to fight
for their rights as a customer and who are too intimidated to pursue a
case against a company whose proprietary service is to make sure that
you are adequately compensated for home damages due to a natural disaster"
states Glover.
When filing an insurance claim, Texas law puts a "good faith and fair
dealing" obligation on the insurance provider during the claims review.
Too often, though, insurance providers continue to profit from negotiating
with their insured in bad faith from refusing, delaying, or underpaid
benefits without a fair basis. If your insurance provider has handled
you unfairly and refused to meet its legal obligations, it is necessary
to consult with an experienced bad faith attorney.