Zalma on Insurance
Education • Business
Insurance Claims professional presents articles and videos on insurance, insurance Claims and insurance law for insurance Claims adjusters, insurance professionals and insurance lawyers who wish to improve their skills and knowledge. Presented by an internationally recognized expert and author.
Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
November 11, 2022
Failure to Timely Sue Defeats Claim

Private Limitation of Action Provision Enforceable

Barry Zalma

Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gsgfe8bx, see the full video at https://lnkd.in/gVD8Kw-m and at https://lnkd.in/gq6cmPZc and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 4350 posts.

The Hanover Insurance Company, Inc. (“Hanover”) and Sportsinsurance.com, Inc. (“Sportsinsurance”) each appealed from the District Court’s order granting in part and denying in part Hanover’s motion to dismiss Sportsinsurance’s complaint because it failed to sue within two years after learning of the fact that it was the victim of an embezzlement.

In Sportsinsurance.com, Inc. v. The Hanover Insurance Company, Inc., Nos. 21-1967-cv (L), 21-2063-cv (XAP), United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit (November 4, 2022) Sportsinsurance discovered that Kenza El Baroudi (“Baroudi”), its Chief Financial Officer, was embezzling from the company. Sportsinsurance believed Baroudi’s embezzlement constituted a loss under an insurance policy (“Policy”) it held with Hanover, and it accordingly submitted a claim under the Policy.

Hanover denied the claim. Sportsinsurance did not immediately sue Hanover under the Policy. Instead, Sportsinsurance pursued a legal action against Baroudi in Quebec, Canada. In July 2019, the Canadian court found that Baroudi had “wrongfully misappropriated” money from Sportsinsurance. Armed with this judgment Sportsinsurance submitted a second claim to Hanover. Hanover once again denied it. At that point, in March 2020, Sportsinsurance sued Hanover. Sportsinsurance alleged that Hanover breached both the express terms of the Policy and the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

The District Court dismissed Sportsinsurance’s breach of contract claim as time-barred by the Policy’s contractual limitations provision (“Limitations Provision”), which required Sportsinsurance to bring any action “involving loss” within two years “from the date . . . [it] ‘discovered’ the loss.” The District Court found that, among other things, the implied covenant claim was not subject to the Limitations Provision because it did not “involve loss.”

THE ISSUES

Concluding it has jurisdiction to review the breach of contract claim the Second Circuit found the question became whether it would exercise its discretion to do so and concluded that addressing Sportsinsurance’s cross-appeal will promote judicial and litigant efficiency without prejudicing either party.

Next issue, the question of whether the breach of contract claim is time-barred and thus subject to dismissal. Because an agreement which modifies the Statute of Limitations by specifying a shorter, but reasonable, period within which to commence an action is enforceable. Language in an insurance policy’s contractual limitations period is construed as starting the clock not at the time of the accident itself but only once ‘the right to bring an action exists. That default rule gives way if a policy contains “exceptionally clear language” that, for example, “fixes the limitations period to the date of the accident.”

Importantly, and in relevant part, the Policy defines “discovered” as “the time when [Sportsinsurance] first become[s] aware of facts which would cause a reasonable person to assume that a loss of a type covered by this policy has been or will be incurred.” That specific definition fixes the Limitations Provision’s commencement to when Sportsinsurance reasonably knew it had or would suffer a loss. This is the type of “especially clear language” which displaces the default rule. Therefore, the contractual limitations period commenced in January 2016 when Sportsinsurance “discovered” Baroudi’s “frauds and thefts.”

The Second Circuit concluded that this Limitations Provision is not unreasonable nor is there is nothing inherently unreasonable about a two-year period of limitation.

Sportsinsurance argued that the Limitations Provision here is unreasonable because it requires that Sportsinsurance (1) “compl[y] with the terms” of the Policy and (2) not bring suit until “90 days after it filed its proof of loss,” which it had to file within 120 days of discovering the loss. These requirements did not prevent Sportsinsurance from timely suing. Sportsinsurance “discovered” the loss in January 2016. By January 2017, Hanover had investigated and “denied” Sportsinsurance’s claim. Sportsinsurance had a full year to bring a legal action against Hanover. It did not. Since the Limitations Provision is fair and reasonable it is enforceable.

In a final effort to evade the Limitations Provision, Sportsinsurance argued that Hanover is either estopped from enforcing or waived the Limitations Provision. The bare allegation that Hanover stated it was open to additional information cannot carry Sportsinsurance’s estoppel or waiver arguments to forestall affirmance of the District Court’s order dismissing the breach of contract claim.

The first two breaches “involve” Baroudi’s embezzlement because the embezzlement is the basis for the claim under the Policy. The implied covenant claim is thus time-barred. The Second Circuit accordingly reversed and dismissed the claim that Hanover breached the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

The declaratory judgment action was dismissed as time-barred because it involves “loss” as Sportsinsurance defined that term.

ZALMA OPINION

Almost ever policy of insurance contains a private limitation of action provision requiring suit to be filed against the insurer within one or two years of discovering the claim. Some states, like California, by court opinion and regulation require that the private limitation of suit provision start running when the claim is denied rather than when it is discovered. In this case, it didn’t matter which, since the plaintiff Sportsinsurance waited more than two years from the denial to file suit proving that he who sits on his rights will lose.

(c) 2022 Barry Zalma & ClaimSchool, Inc.

Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE, now limits his practice to service as an insurance consultant specializing in insurance coverage, insurance claims handling, insurance bad faith and insurance fraud almost equally for insurers and policyholders. He practiced law in California for more than 44 years as an insurance coverage and claims handling lawyer and more than 54 years in the insurance business. He is available at http://www.zalma.com and [email protected] and receive videos limited to subscribers of Excellence in Claims Handling at locals.com https://zalmaoninsurance.locals.com/subscribe.Subscribe to Excellence in Claims Handling at https://barryzalma.substack.com/welcome.

Write to Mr. Zalma at [email protected]; http://www.zalma.com; http://zalma.com/blog; daily articles are published at
Zalma on Insurance

By Barry Zalma

Go to the podcast Zalma On Insurance at https://anchor.fm/barry-zalma; Follow Mr. Zalma on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bzalma; Go to Barry Zalma videos at Rumble.com at https://rumble.com/c/c-262921; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg; Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://zalma.com/blog/insurance-claims-library

00:09:02
Interested? Want to learn more about the community?
What else you may like…
Videos
Posts
20 hours ago
Allegations That Establish Breach of a Condition Defeats Suit

Notice of Claim Later than 60 Days After Expiration is Too Late

Post 5089

Injury at Massage Causes Suit Against Therapist

Read the full article at https://lnkd.in/gziRzFV8, see the full video at https://lnkd.in/gF4aYrQ2 and at https://lnkd.in/gqShuGs9, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5050 posts.

Hiscox Insurance Company (“Hiscox”) moved the USDC to Dismiss a suit for failure to state a claim because the insured reported its claim more than 60 days after expiration of the policy.

In Mluxe Williamsburg, LLC v. Hiscox Insurance Company, Inc., et al., No. 4:25-cv-00002, United States District Court, E.D. Missouri, Eastern Division (May 22, 2025) the trial court’s judgment was affirmed.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiff, the operator of a massage spa franchise, entered into a commercial insurance agreement with Hiscox that provided liability insurance coverage from July 25, 2019, to July 25, 2020. On or about June 03, 2019, a customer alleged that one of Plaintiff’s employees engaged in tortious ...

00:08:31
June 02, 2025
Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter – June 1, 2025

ZIFL – Volume 29, Issue 11
The Source for the Insurance Fraud Professional
Posted on June 2, 2025 by Barry Zalma

Post 5087

See the full video at and at

Read the full article and the full issue of ZIFL June 1, 2025 at https://zalma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ZIFL-06-01-2025.pdf

Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter – June 1, 2025

See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gw-Hgww9 and at https://lnkd.in/gF8QAq4d, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5050 posts.

ZIFL – Volume 29, Issue 11

The Source for the Insurance Fraud Professional

Read the full article and the full issue of ZIFL June 1, 2025 at https://lnkd.in/gTWZUnnF

Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter (ZIFL) continues its 29th year of publication dedicated to those involved in reducing the effect of insurance fraud. ZIFL is published 24 times a year by ClaimSchool and is written by Barry Zalma. It is provided FREE to anyone who visits the site at ...

00:08:42
placeholder
May 30, 2025
Plain Language of Policy Enforced

No Coverage if Home Vacant for More Than 60 Days

Failure to Respond To Counterclaim is an Admission of All Allegations

Post 5085

See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gbWPjHub and at https://lnkd.in/gZ9ztA-P, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5050 posts.

In Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company v. Rebecca Massey, Civil Action No. 2:25-cv-00124, United States District Court, S.D. West Virginia, Charleston Division (May 22, 2025) Defendant Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company's (“Nationwide”) motion for Default Judgment against Plaintiff Rebecca Massey (“Plaintiff”) for failure to respond to a counterclaim and because the claim was excluded by the policy.

BACKGROUND

On February 26, 2022, Plaintiff's home was destroyed by a fire. At the time of this accident, Plaintiff had a home insurance policy with Nationwide. Plaintiff reported the fire loss to Nationwide, which refused to pay for the damages under the policy because the home had been vacant for more than 60 days.

Plaintiff filed suit ...

00:06:50
May 15, 2025
Zalma's Insurance Fraud Letter - May 15, 2025

ZIFL Volume 29, Issue 10
The Source for the Insurance Fraud Professional

See the full video at https://lnkd.in/gK_P4-BK and at https://lnkd.in/g2Q7BHBu, and at https://zalma.com/blog and at https://lnkd.in/gjyMWHff.

Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter (ZIFL) continues its 29th year of publication dedicated to those involved in reducing the effect of insurance fraud. ZIFL is published 24 times a year by ClaimSchool and is written by Barry Zalma. It is provided FREE to anyone who visits the site at http://zalma.com/zalmas-insurance-fraud-letter-2/ You can read the full issue of the May 15, 2025 issue at http://zalma.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/ZIFL-05-15-2025.pdf
This issue contains the following articles about insurance fraud:

Health Care Fraud Trial Results in Murder for Hire of Witness

To Avoid Conviction for Insurance Fraud Defendants Murder Witness

In United States of America v. Louis Age, Jr.; Stanton Guillory; Louis Age, III; Ronald Wilson, Jr., No. 22-30656, United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit (April 25, 2025) the Fifth Circuit dealt with the ...

May 15, 2025
CGL Is Not a Medical Malpractice Policy

Professional Health Care Services Exclusion Effective

Post 5073

See the full video at https://lnkd.in/g-f6Tjm5 and at https://lnkd.in/gx3agRzi, and at https://zalma.com/blog plus more than 5050 posts.

This opinion is the recommendation of a Magistrate Judge to the District Court Judge and involves Travelers Casualty Insurance Company and its duty to defend the New Mexico Bone and Joint Institute (NMBJI) and its physicians in a medical negligence lawsuit brought by Tervon Dorsey.

In Travelers Casualty Insurance Company Of America v. New Mexico Bone And Joint Institute, P.C.; American Foundation Of Lower Extremity Surgery And Research, Inc., a New Mexico Corporation; Riley Rampton, DPM; Loren K. Spencer, DPM; Tervon Dorsey, individually; Kimberly Dorsey, individually; and Kate Ferlic as Guardian Ad Litem for K.D. and J.D., minors, No. 2:24-cv-0027 MV/DLM, United States District Court, D. New Mexico (May 8, 2025) the Magistrate Judge Recommended:

Insurance Coverage Dispute:

Travelers issued a Commercial General Liability ...

April 30, 2025
The Devil’s in The Details

A Heads I Win, Tails You Lose Story
Post 5062

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Barry Zalma

"This is a Fictionalized True Crime Story of Insurance Fraud that explains why Insurance Fraud is a “Heads I Win, Tails You Lose” situation for Insurers. The story is designed to help everyone to Understand How Insurance Fraud in America is Costing Everyone who Buys Insurance Thousands of Dollars Every year and Why Insurance Fraud is Safer and More Profitable for the ­­­Perpetrators than any Other Crime."

Immigrant Criminals Attempt to Profit From Insurance Fraud

People who commit insurance fraud as a profession do so because it is easy. It requires no capital investment. The risk is low and the profits are high. The ease with which large amounts of money can be made from insurance fraud removes whatever moral hesitation might stop the perpetrator from committing the crime.

The temptation to do everything outside the law was the downfall of the brothers Karamazov. The brothers had escaped prison in the old Soviet Union by immigrating to the United...

post photo preview
See More
Available on mobile and TV devices
google store google store app store app store
google store google store app tv store app tv store amazon store amazon store roku store roku store
Powered by Locals