A law firm that specializes in representing policyholders who have experienced catastrophe claims has filed a lawsuit against several Florida insurance officials for allegedly failing to notify homeowners that they could utilize mediation to resolve claims arising out of the 2004 and 2005 hurricane season.

The Hurricane Law Group filed the suit last week against Florida's Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty, the Department of Financial Services, and the Office of Insurance Regulation. In a release distributed by the organization, they accuse insurers of unfairly benefiting to the tune of $400 million by underpaying claims and through the avoidance of mediation fees and expenses. They further claim that the above-named entities gave their blessings for this to occur.

The Hurricane Law Group said it also has provided state agencies with evidence of widespread statutory violations by numerous insurance providers including Allstate, State Farm, Poe Financial Group (Florida Insurance Guaranty Association), and other major insurance carriers, but that no one ever took any action.

"We were shocked by the response of senior members of the Department of Financial Services," said Paul Berger, managing attorney of the Hurricane Law Group, in a release. "In essence, they acknowledged the violations and stated on numerous occasions that mediation was too expensive for insurance companies. Rather than upholding the laws of the State and protecting Floridians, these state agencies are protecting insurance companies at the expense of hurricane victims."

A copy of the lawsuit is available at www.hurricanelawgroup.com.

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Florida Insurance Officials Under Fire for Mediation

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