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I am a landlord by insurance has denied liability claim and I have been sued by a fraudulent slip & fall, what options do I have?

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LdiJ

Senior Member
Thank you for the advise. I reached out to the agent and he has filed for the E&O insurance. I have requested him for the claim copy, claim number and the agency. What are the next steps for me do I still engage lawyers to follow up on it or the feedback. As my case return date is the 3rd. Can you guide what to do and what is the best course of action for me.
You absolutely must have an attorney to defend you against the lawsuit for the slip and fall. The errors and omissions insurance might end up giving you money that you can use to help pay the attorney, but they are not going to provide one for you.

It is good that the agent is willing to file the errors and omissions claim, but that doesn't mean that you will be treated fairly under the errors and omissions insurance without an attorney in your corner. That would generally not be the same attorney defending you in the slip and fall case.
 


Litigator22

Active Member
Thank you for the advise. I reached out to the agent and he has filed for the E&O insurance. I have requested him for the claim copy, claim number and the agency. What are the next steps for me do I still engage lawyers to follow up on it or the feedback. As my case return date is the 3rd. Can you guide what to do and what is the best course of action for me.
For a litany of reasons, you are behaving dangerously naive! And if you don't stop wallowing in here looking for some inexpensive, non-existent magical cure-all for your most complex legal issues and engage competent legal representation, you are going to get financially burned!
 

Litigator22

Active Member
You absolutely must have an attorney to defend you against the lawsuit for the slip and fall. The errors and omissions insurance might end up giving you money that you can use to help pay the attorney, but they are not going to provide one for you.

It is good that the agent is willing to file the errors and omissions claim, but that doesn't mean that you will be treated fairly under the errors and omissions insurance without an attorney in your corner. That would generally not be the same attorney defending you in the slip and fall case.
Your post is so fraught with miscomprehension of the multiple legal issues and their complex ramifications as to deny anything but laborious comment.

Suffice it to say that the OP will never achieve the position of being able to demand any payment from the agent's E & O Insurance Company until such time as a favorable money judgement is entered against the agent on findings of liability and in amounts as covered by the E & O policy.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
Your post is so fraught with miscomprehension of the multiple legal issues and their complex ramifications as to deny anything but laborious comment.

Suffice it to say that the OP will never achieve the position of being able to demand any payment from the agent's E & O Insurance Company until such time as a favorable money judgement is entered against the agent on findings of liability and in amounts as covered by the E & O policy.
Our E & O insurance does not require a judgement against us in order for a loss to be covered if we acknowledge our error. If an insurance agent's E & O insurance does require that, then I am in error. Perhaps I should not have assumed that the agent was acknowledging responsibility when the agent filed a claim without having been served with a lawsuit.
 

Litigator22

Active Member
Our E & O insurance does not require a judgement against us in order for a loss to be covered if we acknowledge our error. If an insurance agent's E & O insurance does require that, then I am in error. Perhaps I should not have assumed that the agent was acknowledging responsibility when the agent filed a claim without having been served with a lawsuit.
That is very true. The same with any liability insurance carrier having settled a third-party claim upon recognizing its ultimate liability for a loss covered by the policy. *

The issue here might be one of "injuria sine damno". Latin meaning a legal wrong that causes no actual damage to anyone.

In other words, whether misfeasance on the part of the OP's real estate agent is acknowledged or not any resulting loss or damage to the OP is shear speculation; i. e., contingent on the merits/outcome of the slip-and-fall tort claim.

My thinking is that it is unfortunate that anyone ever mentioned the subject of E & O coverage to the OP. He appears to be hopelessly clinging to it as some form of a panacea or cure all.

Anyway, his burden now is to engage an attorney having the experience and skills needed to consolidate these numerous issues and parties into a set of pleadings - including defending the tort action, inter pleading the agent and his E & O carrier and seeking a judgment over against the latter two for any rendered against him in the slip-and-fall tort claim.

Incidentally, please don't compartmentalize or pigeonhole trial lawyers. Of course, some do specialize. But generally, they are capable of multitasking. (Such a jaded and ugly word!)
____________________

[*] E.g., auto liability policies where in the insurer simply indemnifies the insured customer without creating privity with third party claimants.
 
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