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| | The Law Firm of Doyle Raizner Files Suit against Safeco Insurance on Behalf of Public Adjusters
By Press Release - September 5, 2013
The national trial law firm of Doyle Raizner, based in Houston, Texas, has filed a lawsuit against Safeco Insurance, a Liberty Mutual Insurance company, on behalf of a public adjuster firm alleging tortious interference of an existing contract. According to the lawsuit, Safeco Insurance and its adjuster allegedly failed to properly notify or include the firm in an insurance claim settlement in which they had been contracted by the policyholder to assist in negotiations (Case No. DC-12-12714 US District Court for the Northern District of Texas)
According to the complaint, Safeco’s policyholder filed a claim and was assigned an adjuster for the claim. The policyholder was not able to reach a satisfactory resolution with Safeco or the adjuster. At that time, the claimant entered into a contract with the public adjuster firm to represent him in the presentation and evaluation of the insurance claim. Safeco and its adjuster were presented with the agreement and contract that existed between its policyholder and the public adjuster firm. Under the agreement, the public adjuster firm was to receive a percentage of any insurance benefits paid to the policyholder for the claim.
The lawsuit alleges Safeco failed to protect the public adjuster firm’s legal interest; this action constitutes a tortious interference with an existing contract. Elements of tortious interference include: the existence of a contractual relationship between two parties, knowledge of that relationship by a third party and damage to the party against whom the breach occurs. The duties to protect a bank, public adjuster or other legally interested party are accepted by the industry at large.
According to Jeff Raizner, co-founder of Doyle Raizner, the key point to the issue at hand is the difference in care by Safeco.
extracted from Press Release, dated September 5, 2013
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