Civil Law

Does an Umpire Have Immunity From Suit? Is an Appraisal an Arbitration in North Carolina?

The greater the appraisal award is, the greater frequency that the insurance company will flip out and blame somebody or something for causing a large appraisal award. This is the situation in a North Carolina case where the insurance company has sued the umpire.  

In response, the umpire has claimed he cannot be sued because he has immunity as an arbitrator. The umpire, Lewis O’Leary, is very experienced in appraisals. He was noted in “How Late Can Late Notice of … Read the rest

Civil Law

Can Florida Courts Confirm Appraisal Awards and Appoint Umpires?

The property insurance policy calls for a court to appoint umpires. Parties typically file a petition to appoint an umpire and then a request to confirm the appraisal award after the appraisal panel renders a decision. A reader of this blog asked me to comment on the following ruling from a recent Florida appellate case:1 

State Farm Florida Insurance Company (‘State Farm’) appeals the final judgments entered in four related cases that confirmed appraisal awards set by a

… Read the rest