Insurance

Clients sometimes ask us why insurance companies make lowball settlement offers following an auto accident. The answer is simple: because they want to pay you as little as possible for your injury. They have nothing to lose by offering you less than what you deserve. And if you say yes to the amount an insurance company puts on the table, they escape their liability for a fraction of what they owe. If you’ve suffered losses related to a personal injury,Your Read More Link Text

Michigan’s No-Fault Law offers multiple options for selecting the Personal Injury (PIP) coverage you want. It is up to Michigan drivers to make these decisions, which can be an overwhelming choice. Unlimited Coverage – obviously this is the “Rolls-Royce” of PIP coverage. It will pay for all allowable expenses for you and your care, recovery, and rehabilitation. Of course it will be the most expensive as well. Limited Coverage of $500,000 – under this coverage, $500,000 is the most your auto insuranceYour Read More Link Text

We all know that cheaper doesn’t often mean better. But sometimes, cheaper doesn’t even mean, well, “cheaper.” Case in point is Michigan’s New No-Fault law. There is a “coordinated” policy option that allows a policyholder to confirm that injuries suffered from an automobile accident when the insured is not at fault should be applied as a primary coverage to the healthcare policy. The thought process is that it may lead to reduced premiums from the auto insurer. As we haveYour Read More Link Text

Michigan voters were promised real savings with the no-fault law reform in 2019. What we received instead is a not-so-happy ending to a fairy tale where the big bad wolf wins. Recent headlines tell the story. First, there’s the double-digit rate increases even for the most prudent and safe drivers. The “rebate” sent to Michigan residents was an illusion. We remain one of THE most expensive states for average auto insurance premium costs – 2nd only to Louisiana according to aYour Read More Link Text

Follow the Right Advice Nobody likes to think about the possibility of getting into an accident, but it’s essential to be prepared. One fundamental way to prepare is by understanding what dos and don’ts exist when filing an insurance claim after an accident. Knowing what steps you should take can help ensure quick and accurate processing of your claim – and that you get the compensation you deserve promptly. In this blog, we’ll discuss some dos and don’ts of filing anYour Read More Link Text

After getting into a car accident, you will have to consider how you will pay for the damages. From property damage expenses to medical bills, it can be overwhelming to ascertain how you will make payments. However, this is why insurance requirements exist. In Michigan, there are certain minimum requirements you must meet with your car insurance. Furthermore, there are consequences to not meeting these requirements. What Are Michigan’s Minimum Requirements? Did you know? As a Michigan resident, it isYour Read More Link Text

One of the questions that we often get from clients is to explain the difference between compensatory versus punitive damages. It is a topic that often comes up once an individual or family hires us following a recent auto accident. Compensatory damages are the losses you suffered because of someone else’s negligence that caused your car accident. Compensatory damages include both economic and non-economic losses. When you file an insurance claim, you’re entitled to collect compensation for your damages. IfYour Read More Link Text

After you have been in a car crash and reported it to your insurance provider, you can expect the insurer will reach out and request you give a recorded statement on the accident. But what exactly is a recorded statement, why do insurers need it, and what should you tell them? Why do insurers want recorded statements? Insurance companies are businesses. And while their goals are often to help, they are driven by profits too. Just because your insurer is your insurerYour Read More Link Text

When you call the insurance company to report a crash, the adjuster on the phone may ask if you’d give a statement about the crash. This is an infamous insurance trap and one that many people fall for because they assume the insurance company is fighting for their best interest. However, there’s a very good reason why you should never give a recorded statement after a car crash, even in a no-fault state like Michigan. Recorded Statements In at-fault states,Your Read More Link Text

If you live in Michigan, you probably have some fairly high car insurance premiums compared to drivers in other states. While Michigan car insurance premiums have dropped significantly over the past two years, they still remain some of the highest in the country. But why does Michigan have the highest car insurance premiums in the US? Two words: No-Fault. Why Are Premiums So High? Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Michigan car insurance premiums were significantly higher than they are today. In earlyYour Read More Link Text

Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare companies have all but replaced old fashioned taxi services in many areas. The ease and convenience of ordering a ride through a smartphone app have made these services an indispensable means of transport for many people. Unfortunately, Uber drivers are also involved in auto accidents, resulting in both property damage and injuries. Determining who is legally liable in these types of accidents is the same as any other automotive crash – an injured plaintiff mustYour Read More Link Text

A police report is often, but not always, an important part of a personal injury claim. When you report an accident, the insurance adjuster will ask for the police report and may make their initial determination of who was at fault based primarily on the responding law enforcement officer’s report. But what happens if you don’t have one? It is possible to be in an accident and for the police to not respond to your accident. There could be aYour Read More Link Text

Under the new No-Fault Law, you now have multiple options for selecting the Personal Injury (PIP) coverage you want. They are listed below: Unlimited Coverage – obviously this is the “Rolls-Royce” of PIP coverage. It will pay for all allowable expenses for you and your care, recovery, and rehabilitation. Of course, it will be the most expensive as well. Limited Coverage of $500,000 – under this coverage, $500,000 is the most your auto insurance company will pay per person, per accident expenses relatedYour Read More Link Text

Families and survivors often depend on life insurance, or survivor’s benefits after a loved one passes away. These benefits may be necessary to pay for funeral or memorial expenses and may be needed for final medical costs as well as for everyday bills. If the person who has passed away was a breadwinner, life insurance money might be necessary to keep the household moving forward financially. In most cases, life insurance payouts occur within a few weeks of the life insurance companyYour Read More Link Text

We mentioned back in April that COVID-19 has, and will continue to have an impact on the court system and the manner – and speed – in which cases are handled. Already it appears that most cases are being delayed and taking longer than usual. This is true for non-jury cases as judges are using video conferencing technologies and like many of us are working remotely. Most courtrooms are closed. All jury trials have been delayed and there is widespread anticipation thatYour Read More Link Text

When your insurance broker says “no”, you need to push back. That’s the simple message we have for business owners out there who have Business Interruption policies but have been told that COVID-19 is not covered. Don’t take that message at face value. Insurance companies are in the business of making money and while we have all needed insurance for business and personal needs at various points in our lives, many businesses need it now more than ever. We’ve been hearing fromYour Read More Link Text

Crain’s Detroit Business reported late last week that an estimated 24 percent of Michigan’s labor force had filed for unemployment since mid-May. The five-week total of recorded unemployment records now stands at 1.18 million new unemployment claims since March 15. That is simply unheard of. Year-over-year, the second week in April saw more than 134,000 initial claims. During a similar time period in 2019, just 4,842 unemployment claims were made. The unemployment rate in Michigan now stands at 17.4 percent, butYour Read More Link Text

The early word we’re hearing from our clients is that many Business Interruption insurance policies are in fact excluding COVID from coverage. Our response in every one of those cases: Send Us the Policy. Industries like restaurants, banquet facilities, golf courses, and driving ranges, auto repair facilities, hotels are among those being severely impacted by these virus restrictions. They have no choice but to close in many cases, even if some are deemed “essential” to some degree by the state. These companies still haveYour Read More Link Text

Business interruption insurance is a common type of policy that covers the loss of income that a business suffers after a disaster. The income loss covered may be the result of a disaster-related closing of the business facility or due to the rebuilding process after a disaster. Such a policy is designed, at its core, to help businesses cover bills, rent, and utilities, replace lost income, and cover payroll when a covered event forces a business to close temporarily. This soundsYour Read More Link Text

The reason that Death Benefits is such a growing area for our practice is that insurance carriers have shown that if they have the ability to deny, delay and/or defend the payment of a death benefit for any reason, they often will do it. Tragic deaths related to the COVID-19 virus are likely to be no different. All of these deaths that we are seeing throughout southeastern Michigan are heartbreaking. In many cases, these appear to have been fairly healthy individuals basedYour Read More Link Text

Death benefits or Flower Policies, are insurance policies generally intended to cover the basic expenses in the event of the untimely passing of a loved one. These policies are usually favorable to low-income families due to their small monthly payments and the promises made by the insurance companies. The application process is not difficult. The insurance companies ask a few general medical questions and those questions’ answers are based on the current knowledge of the applicant. There’s no need forYour Read More Link Text