WALKER & CRAWFORD, PC

We at Walker & Crawford, P.C. want to remind parents of  a number of steps they may take to safeguard teen drivers:

-  Let them know you are always available to pick them up anywhere, anytime, day or night.

-  Set rules for nighttime or weekend driving. 

-  Have parties at your home to keep teens off roads during high-accident times.

-  Restrict passengers to one or two other teens.

-  Make teens promise not to use a cell phone while driving.

-  Drive with teens to monitor their driving habits.

-  Serve as a good driving role model.

-  Have teens pay for their own insurance.

-  Keep any vehicle teens drive well-maintained.

Homeowners should take the following steps when dealing with their insurance company:

Take Documentation. Make a comprehensive inventory of the household items lost in the storm, and keep receipts from emergency repairs and temporary housing costs.

Track Communications with Your Insurance Company. Keep a log of all communications with your insurance carrier, including anytime they fail to return a call or miss a scheduled appointment.

Be Careful What You Sign. Do not sign anything you do not fully understand. Make sure all documents are explained thoroughly so that you know what you are signing and how it will affect your claim.

Ask for Proof. If your insurer tells you that you are not covered, require them to offer proof. The burden is on the carrier to point to the exclusion in your policy.

Complain if Necessary. If you believe that you are being treated unfairly by your insurance carrier, file a complaint with the Texas Department of Insurance and/or the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Contact Texas Watch’s Ike Insurance Hotline at 1-888-738-4226 for assistance in filing complaints.

Homeowners are encouraged to be vigilant when dealing with their insurance company after major disasters such as Hurricane Ike.  Insurance abuse proved to be rampant after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and victims of Hurricane Ike must take steps to protect themselves from unfair insurance practices.  One way homeowners may protect themselves is by contacting the attorneys at Walker & Crawford, P.C., who are standing by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer  questions concerning storm-related insurance claims.

Should AIG policy holders be entitled to an offset?

AIG policy holders paid premiums for their insurance policy and then as tax payers paid again for the bailout of AIG.

Following the logic of insurance company offsets, AIG policy holders should get and offset for paying twice.

Why do insurance companies have rules that favor the carrier and rules that work against the policy holder? All the rules are in the carriers favor.

Enough is enough.

Now, that the Hurricane is over and the lights have come back on, the second wave of disaster and disappointment strikes. Homeowners across the State of Texas are asking themselves…..”Is my insurance company going to abandon me?”

Homeowners are finding that, despite years of paying outrageously high insurance premiums, their insurance companies are not the good friends and neighbors they claimed to be.

If your homeowners insurance company has denied your claim, or is refusing to pay what’s fair to fix or repair your home, then call us now at 713-552-1117.

Now, that the Hurricane is over and the lights have come back on, the second wave of disaster and disappointment strikes. Homeowners across the State of Texas are asking themselves…..”Is my insurance company going to abandon me?”

Homeowners are finding that, despite years of paying outrageously high insurance premiums, their insurance companies are not the good friends and neighbors they claimed to be.

If your homeowners insurance company has denied your claim, or is refusing to pay what’s fair to fix or repair your home, then call us now at 713-552-1117.

Property owners may be entitled to an advance from the insurance company and assistance with housing. Business property owners may have coverage that they are not aware such as business interruption insurance.

CALL TODAY TO FIND OUT WHERE YOU STAND WITH YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY, AND WHAT YOUR RIGHTS ARE. 713-552-1117

WALKER & CRAWFORD P.C.

1924 Portsmouth, Houston TX 77098

800-732-2934-713-552-1117

www. walkertexaslawyer.com

HURRICANE-RAVAGED GULF COAST

TARGETED BY INSURANCE COMPANY LOBBYISTS

Consumer Group Condemns U.S. Chamber of Commerce
For Again Attacking Struggling Gulf Coast Region

The Center for Justice & Democracy has condemned the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s richest corporate lobby group, for its seventh annual state liability rankings report, which inexplicably targets for criticism every state in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf

Coast region, suggesting that these states are bad for businesses.

The report, which is based on nothing more than the views of corporate lawyers - people hired to defend companies accused of wrongdoing like insurance companies who have unfairly denied hurricane claims - ranks three Gulf Region states among the bottom 5 states: Louisiana (49), Mississippi (48), and Alabama (47). This low ranking of Gulf Coast states began in 2006, just months after Hurricane Katrina hit.

“First, and most obviously, expecting corporate lawyers to render a fair and unbiased view of jurisdictions where they have had to defend misconduct or lost cases is patently absurd,” said Joanne Doroshow, Executive Director of the Center for Justice & Democracy. “But also, for three years now, the U.S. Chamber has inexplicably decided to target the struggling Gulf Coast region for criticism as it tries to recover from one of the worst disasters in our nation’s history, which killed thousands, displaced millions, and left hundreds of thousands without jobs or income. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce should be helping this battered area instead of launching attacks on it. These states are working hard to recover and bring businesses back, with some significant success according to recent employment figures.”

The Chamber also tags Los Angeles, CA and Cook County, IL as the so-called “least fair” communities. Unlike the general population, approximately 95 out of 100 (or more) of top corporate lawyers – the type of individuals selected by the Chamber to rank jurisdictions - are white.* According to the U.S. Census, Los Angeles County, Calif., had the largest minority population in the country in 2006; Cook County had the largest black population, followed by Los Angeles County. Said Doroshow, “It is one thing to refuse to attempt to survey a representative cross section of the legal community for this survey. But it is another thing to rely exclusively on the opinions of a group that has been specifically recognized as excluding minorities from its pool. And when those polled then find disproportionate fault with jurisdictions in minority communities, the results of such a survey should be highly suspect.”