Little Known Deadline Nears For Challenging Insurance Companies On Sandy Claims

The following is an unedited press release from the offices of Senator Charles Schumer:

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today called on FEMA to issue a clear and immediate ruling that extends the statute of limitations for Sandy victims to challenge their insurance companies in court for shortchanging them on an award amount. Under FEMA’s current guidelines, families have only one year from the date they received the “first” written “denial,” or insufficient check, to challenge the amount in court. That day is rapidly approaching, as some homeowners received their first response within months of the storm. In many cases, those homeowners are still submitting documentation and proof to insurance companies.  FEMA’s current policy ensures many homeowners lose the option to take civil action even before they are done negotiating with the insurance companies.  Schumer was joined on his letter by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

Schumer said FEMA should not start the clock on the one-year statute of limitations period to pursue civil action until all administrative appeals have been completed and the homeowner has received a final determination the insurer.  That would have the effect of giving sandy victims an additional 18 months or more to hold accountable insurance companies.  This is particularly important because of how complex the rebuilding process has been – a homeowners needs are constantly changing, and insurance companies have shown themselves reluctant to provide a fair amount.

“This is about fairness, due process and common sense. Beginning the clock at the first denial of a claim – instead of the final denial – makes no sense, and necessarily robs many aggrieved homeowners from holding accountable insurance companies that have shortchanged them on what they are owed – and need – to rebuild after Superstorm Sandy,” said Schumer.  “FEMA should clarify the deadline so that Sandy victims can finish negotiating their claims before they are forced into court, where they will likely get less money and incur greater expenses. This is a win-win that will allow homeowners to better access the money they are owed without forcing them to file premature and unnecessary court claims.”

“Sandy-impacted homeowners who suffered damages from the storm are slowly piecing their lives back together and deserve access to fair policies that make all resources available,” said Gillibrand. “Struggling families must be given the opportunity to fully exhaust their appeals without risking their right to file suit. I urge FEMA to heed our call to assist New Yorkers through this process.”

“The disaster relief clinic at Touro Law Center has been on the front lines helping Superstorm Sandy victims for the past year – and we know firsthand how much help and assistance is still needed,” said Touro Law Center Dean Patricia Salkin.  “Touro Law Center thanks Senator Schumer for taking action so that we make sure thousands of Sandy victims won’t be victimized again by complicated deadlines.”

“The one-year deadline to file suit is connected with the process for presenting a claim under the flood policy, which FEMA extended to 18 months in order to protect thousands of Sandy-affected households.  This clarification will provide everyone with more time to find solutions and keep many out of federal court,” said Benjamin Rajotte, Director of the Disaster Law Clinic at Touro Law.

FEMA’s policy on the statute of limitations is particularly puzzling because FEMA granted Sandy-affected households an extension until April 29, 2014 to submit supporting documents to their insurance companies – such documents are called “proof of loss.”  Effectively the proof of loss allows households to present their flood insurance claims for the full amount they believe is owed.  This extension was designed to address the widespread and catastrophic losses that thousands of households have suffered, combined with the unprecedented volume of claims handling and demand for experts to value these losses.  This proof of loss extension was particularly important because many families are still trying to assess how much their insurance companies owe them, including families who are still displaced as a result of the storm.

But while the proof of loss deadline as extended, FEMA has not done the same for the statute of limitations of taking insurance companies to court if, in the end, the insurance check is insufficient.  This is because FEMA appears to maintain that the one-year limitations period in which to file suit starts from the “first” written “denial” from the insurer, and it has since indicated that this denial may be based exclusively on the report made by the insurer’s own insurance adjuster without any documentation from the household.   This could create a situation where you are still allowed to submit evidence, but not allowed to sue in a court if the claim doesn’t come back at a sufficient amount.

“In many cases, these so-called first denials are made by poorly trained adjusters, who work for the insurance companies and get little-to-no input from impacted homeowners. They put the homeowner behind the eight-ball just as they are struggling to cope with massive damage, trying to get their lives back together – and understating a very complicated flood insurance process. It is inherently unfair and we need to rectify that,” said Schumer.

FEMA has made this argument in previous disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina.   Nowhere in the policy, nor in the controlling statute, nor in the regulation does it say that the period to file suit starts from the “first” denial on a claim that has not even been fully presented by the household through the policy’s required proof of loss process.  This is very problematic in Sandy cases which involve extensive property loss, forcing homeowners to document various aspects of their storm-damaged homes and belongings with numerous contractors and insurance adjusters at multiple points in time.   A “denial” at any one point in time, before households even submit all of their paperwork, starts the clock.  There is an obvious problem if the one-year deadline to file suit expires before the time necessary to fully present the claim.  This interpretation deprives policyholders of the indemnification they are due.