(Note: This guest blog is by Vivian Persand, an attorney with Merlin Law Group in the Coral Gables office).
Last week, I wrote about some of the things you can expect to see, and not see, when Insurers like Safeco and Liberty Mutual respond to discovery requests. This week, I want to explain one of the steps you can take to combat these evasive discovery tactics. Some of the most effective and successful methods have been used across the country by large and small firms alike. What makes these plaintiffs’ law firms stand out is not the type of claim they pursue, the amount of the claim or the kind of insured they represent, but their commitment to not letting insurers get away with stonewalling discovery tactics. These attorneys go the extra mile, invest wisely, and do their homework. Sure, it might take some time; it’s going to take extra effort, and, naturally, nothing is free. But in the end, plaintiffs’ attorneys who obtain adjuster’s diaries, employee training manuals, and documents showing incentives for employees to put money into their own pockets instead of the insureds’ pockets, are going to go a long way in proving how their insured’s claim was improperly handled by the insurer from day one. This type of evidence can show your judge how the insurer never really intended to pay anything near a fair amount on your insured’s perfectly legitimate claim, if anything at all.
So how do you battle devious discovery tactics? First, do you have an expert? Let me guess – you’re thinking “sure, I have a great roof engineer who put together a detailed report with pictures and a thorough calculation of damage to the property….” Well, that’s not the kind of expert I’m thinking about. Get yourself someone who knows the insurance business – someone who knows the tricks of the trade – someone that is going to stump those smart and cunning defense attorneys. Find an expert who has some particular knowledge about the insurer you are up against. If it’s State Farm, you might want to give Steve Strzelec a call. If it’s Safeco or Liberty Mutual, consider Charles Miller.
Now, what can folks like the masterful Mr. Strzelec and the very capable Mr. Miller do for you? First, they can educate you on what you can and should be looking for and why it is critical to your case. You must first become educated about your client’s insurer and its internal policies that affect the way your insured’s claim was handled. Let your expert teach you about the types of policies and procedures that the insurer implemented to decrease payments on claims in general and to provide incentives to employees for paying less. Is each adjuster required to turn over a certain percentage of his/her claims to SIU? Is each adjuster required to turn over a certain percentage of his/her claims to the subrogation department? What type of monetary bonus does an adjuster get for meeting the SIU referral goals? How much does an adjuster get for each claim referred to subrogation? These types of internal policies will almost certainly reflect the menial amount paid on your insured’s claim, and whether your insured’s claim was turned over to SIU or subrogation merely for the purpose of meeting the adjuster’s quota. Once you learn about the specific procedures for the insurance adjuster or claims handler, work with your expert to draft specific discovery requests which target the policies and programs (by name, no less) that will help you demonstrate to the judge and jury how your insured’s claim was improperly and unfairly handled by the insurer.
Once you have served your carefully tailored discovery requests, get ready for the “overbroad, unduly burdensome and not likely to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence” objections. And prepare yourself for the production of a plethora of useless documents, as discussed in last week’s blog. But never fear – this is where your expert comes to the rescue, again.
In a number of cases across the country, expert affidavits have been instrumental in the discovery battle against insurers, including Safeco and Liberty Mutual. Charles Miller, for example, has provided both deposition and affidavit testimony regarding claims practices for insurers, including but not limited to, Safeco and Liberty Mutual. The overriding theme in his affidavits is how the insurer intentionally and brazenly implemented practices and policies to cheat insureds.
In one of his affidavits in a case against Safeco, Mr. Miller’s affidavit reflects, in part, as follows:
Based on my thirty plus years of knowledge and experience regarding insurance company claims handling it is my opinion that the documents and information requested…are highly relevant to the operations of a claims department including the handling of individual claims such as this one…The documents and information that I reviewed with regard to several other insurers describe their respective programs to reduce claim payments in order [to] improve corporate profitability. Such programs are improper when it comes to the handling of insurance claims [footnote omitted]. Programs which emphasize profit in the handling of claims put the claims handler in a conflict of interest, wherein the claims handler can either fulfill the insurer’s full obligation to its insured or act in the insurance company’s interest because the claims handler will be financially or otherwise rewarded if he/she does so. In my opinion, and based on my experience in reviewing handling thousands of claims files, when placed in such a conflict claims handlers will handle a claim in a manner that benefits the insurance company to the detriment of the policyholder.
In a case against Liberty Mutual, Mr. Miller’s affidavit reflected, in part, the following:
Through consultation with consultants like McKinsey and Accenture, insurers have sought to turn their claims operation into profit centers by seeking to reduce claims payment through artificial measurements such as leakage coupled with goals to reduce average paid claims and/or the combined ratio.
Mr. Miller artfully creates a very real and accurate picture for the judge and jury. What picture is that? The reality of the situation – the insurer will stop at nothing, will spend as much as it takes and will consider any opportunity to devise unprincipled, cost-cutting methods aimed at giving its insureds the shaft. So once your expert has taught you the particulars of the insurer’s internal procedures, and once you’ve applied what you learned to drafting carefully constructed discovery, don’t stop there. Take it to the next level. Work with your expert to prepare an expert affidavit that will provide the court with a thorough, precise and undeniable explanation for why the internal documents you seek are directly relevant to the claim(s) at issue.
So, what’s your “take away” from today’s blog? Your expert is your friend. Allow your expert to enlighten you and maximize the skills he has to offer. Be like the insurer – be creative and stop at nothing to get your hands on the discovery to which you are entitled and that may very well prove your case.
Your expert is one of many effective and powerful weapons at your disposal. Next week, I will write about how discovery motions and perseverance can win the case.
Happy Friday!
