When and whether a vehicle involved in a collision is considered “totaled” for first-party insurance purposes is an issue of great angst and confusion for most consumers. We hear horror stories of older but functioning vehicles being “totaled” simply due to a bent frame or other seemingly minor or even hidden damage. Even insurance professionals…
Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. feels it is an honor and a privilege to represent all of its subrogation clients. However, mutual insurance companies hold a special place in our hearts because of their long and distinguished heritage in the annals of insurance history and the rural and local nature of their roots. Subrogating on…
On January 24, 2020, a massive explosion ripped through the Watson Grinding and Manufacturing facility in northwest Houston. The blast damaged 450 structures in the area surrounding the facility. MWL’s Texas office heard the news a few hours after the explosion and took immediate action on behalf of its clients and retained a fire and…
Martins v. Vermont Mutual Ins. Co., 2019 WL 3818293 (D. Mass. 2019) A federal district court in Massachusetts has ruled that Massachusetts tort law does not provide for recovery of “inherent diminution in value” damages by a third-party claimant. The Bay State had long been one of only 15 states that do not have any…
Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer, S.C. (“MWL”) is pleased to announce that Zahra Aziz has joined our insurance litigation team as a senior associate attorney in our California branch office. Zahra’s litigation experience adds to a wealth of experience at MWL’s Santa Ana office, which is already teeming with talent and expertise. Zahra’s practice focuses on…
Montana remains one of the toughest states to subrogate in because it has a very strict made whole policy. It is the rule in Montana that an insured must be totally reimbursed for all losses as well as costs, including attorney fees involved in recovering those losses, before the insurer can exercise any right of…
There are 22 million vehicles registered in Texas. There are also 13 million head of cattle, the most in the country and over twice the number of the state with the second-most—Nebraska.[1] Cattle and cars intersect more often than insurance companies would like to think about. In fact, in the fall season of September, October,…