August 21, 2018

Your Rights When Filing a Florida Homeowner’s Insurance Claim

Many Florida homeowners are unsure what their rights are as homeowner’s insurance policyholders and feel insecure when dealing with their insurance companies after experiencing a loss.  This should not be the case.  As an insured homeowner, you have certain rights under the law. At Malik Law, we believe knowledge is power.  Knowing your rights when filing a Florida homeowner’s insurance claim can make the claims process less confusing and intimidating.  In addition, getting help with your claim from an experienced insurance claim attorney can give you the power to take control of the situation and get the results you want. […]
July 23, 2018

Florida Pool Injuries and Premises Liability

While our Florida pools are a great place to cool down, have fun, and relax, they can be very dangerous, especially if they are not well maintained or supervised.  Thousands of people get injured each year in Florida, either in or around a pool, and some of the injuries can be very serious. When pool injuries are the result of negligence on the part of the person or organization responsible for maintaining the pool, hurt individuals may be able to recover damages for their injuries by filing a Florida personal injury claim.  In fact, with help from an experienced premises […]
July 10, 2018

Malik Law Wins Big Against Citizens Insurance on Appraisal Issue

In what is a landmark ruling, Malik Law recently prevailed against Citizens Insurance regarding their new appraisal demands on water remediation claims. Respected Judge Flury in Leon County agreed with Plaintiff’s argument that appraisal cannot be applicable to emergency service measures provided as a result of a sudden water loss. The argument has morphed into an extremely technical and complicated arguing regarding policy language in various parts of Citizens policy. Fortunately, Judge Flury understood the merits of the argument very well and issued an Order denying Defendant’s Motion to Compel Appraisal. Another important factor is Leon County is where Citizens […]
July 9, 2018

Malik Law Prevails on Partial Assignment Issue

Malik Law is pleased to announce that is recently prevailed against FEDERATED National Insurance Company on a Motion to Dismiss Plaintiff’s complaint based upon the argument that only one “insured” assigned benefits under the policy. In what is one of the most comprehensive and well articulated Orders issued on this subject by Judge Micheal Raiden, in Polk County, the Court found no merit to the Defendants most argued position that an Assignment of Benefits is not valid if only signed by one insured. Often times, homeowners are away working and many contractors cannot get all the necessary signatures before commencing […]
June 29, 2018

Malik Law Defeats 14 Day Exclusion

Our clients sustained a devastating water loss in their home in the Villages. The house had been extensively damaged by water and mold as a result of a water loss from their bathroom. They filed a claim with their insurance who summarily denied it based on the 14 water damage exclusion. The exclusion effectively states that the insurance company is not responsible for providing coverage if the water damage had been occurring over a period of 14 days or more. Our position was that any damage that occurred to the property during days 1 through 14 of the loss should […]
June 13, 2018

Do I Need Flood Insurance for My Florida Home?

With the devastation of Hurricane Irma still fresh in our minds, many of us are probably wondering if we should purchase flood insurance before we get any strong tropical storms this year.  Our regular homeowners’ policies do not cover damage from flooding (water that is rising from the ground), even it happens because of a hurricane or heavy rainfall, so investigating the costs and benefits of flood insurance is certainly worthwhile.   Why Have Flood Insurance According to FEMA, flooding is the most common natural disaster in the U.S. causing millions of dollars in damage each year. The damage from […]
May 11, 2018

The 2018 Orlando Tropical Storm Season

Hurricane Season begins in a few short weeks, and the good news is that researchers are predicting fewer major storms than last year.  The bad news is that they are still predicting a greater number of storms than average, including 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes of category 3 or higher. Whether or not these strong storms will hit Central Florida and Orlando is unknown.  However, even unnamed tropical storms can damage our homes and other property, and the odds that at least one major storm will cause havoc and damage in our area are pretty high.  […]
April 18, 2018

How to Prepare for the 2018 Florida Hurricane Season

Many of us in Orlando have just recently finished having our homes repaired from Hurricane Irma damage, so it seems early to be thinking about the 2018 hurricane season.  However, the season starts June 1 – less than two months from now – and hurricane scientists are predicting another whopper season! Now is the time to review your homeowners insurance policy and prepare your home and family for the storms to come.   Review Your Florida Homeowners Insurance Policy When you’re upset and trying to assess the damage to your home following a severe storm, it is difficult to read […]
March 7, 2018

Will Orlando Drivers Need Bodily Injury Liability Insurance?

The state legislature is still working on repealing Florida’s no-fault auto insurance laws, so we don’t know the final outcome. However, what we do know is that if the legislature repeals the laws during the current legislative session, we could be seeing an end to personal injury protection (PIP) as soon as January, 2019. The laws doing away with PIP, proposed by both the House and the Senate, mandate another form of insurance for automobile drivers – bodily injury liability coverage. Since this change could be coming soon to Florida, it’s a good time for us to become more familiar […]
February 16, 2018

What Will Happen to PIP?

In 2019, we could see the end of PIP in Florida.  Last month the Florida House of Representatives voted 88-15 to do away with our no-fault car insurance law, and the Senate is not far behind.   What Does No PIP Mean for Florida? Ending the PIP requirement will mean the end of an era.  The requirement that drivers have $10,000 in personal injury protection coverage has been the law for almost 40 years. Ending the requirement also means we’ll be ending our stint as one of only two states that doesn’t require drivers to buy bodily-injury liability insurance to […]