Legal Commentary

Like anything else, the editorial writers aren’t experts on insurance and tend to take a simplified view of a very scientific and mathematical topic. Similar to politicians, they believe long-term reforms should result in immediate rate reductions.

Florida insurance defense attorneys continue to litigate the land slide of homeowner business and AOB claims resulting from two consecutive years of hurricanes including Michael and Irma.

This week, Governor DeSantis signed HB 7065, the new bill bringing assignment of benefit reform to the state. Approved last month, the bill is set to limit attorney fees in AOB lawsuits, protecting consumers and cutting back on the all too common AOB abuse and fraud the industry has been battling for the last six years.

After seven years of fighting for AOB reform in Florida HB 7065 passed with the support of the state’s governor, CFO, Citizens, as well as business and consumer protection groups. Now, homeowners will be able to protect themselves against predatory water mitigation and restoration vendors who pressure them to sign AOBs.

It has been six long years of fighting in Tallahassee for assignment of benefits reforms and to control one way attorneys fees.

With just a week to go in the 2019 Legislative Session, AOB reform may become a reality this year.

True reforms are needed to control the growing avalanche of litigation fueled by one-way attorneys’ fees and assignment of benefits abuses.

Assignment of benefits has many moving parts, including one-way attorney fees.