MADISON COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -
A Madison County couple is part of a growing trend. Several storm victims from April 27th, 2011 are now filing lawsuits against their insurance companies.
The Madison County couple filed theirs last week.
According to court documents, a tree came crashing through their house on April 27th. FEMA declared the house a total loss, but the insurance company won't pay for a new house.
"[Insurance companies] are in the business to make money," said attorney Michael Lambert.
Lambert has heard horror stories about insurance companies now paying claims to customers. He's successfully taken companies to court over similar discrepancies before. He recently won a case against State Farm over storm damage to one of their customer's homes back in 2008.
"We tell everyone we're the slowest way to get anything done because it takes two to three years to get to the court system," said Lambert.
According to Lambert, hiring an attorney over a claim is a last resort. He said if you go down the route, do a little bit of homework first.
"Most licensed and insured general contractors, we call them home builders in Alabama, give free estimates on what it's going to take to repair or rebuild a home. Get that in hand in writing as soon as possible, but only get that in hand after a [structural] engineer comes out because that engineer will define what has to be done," said Lambert.
A structural engineer could cost as much as $400, but it could save a lot of time and headaches down the road. Lambert advises to send that information to the insurance company. If you're not satisfied with their response, it could be time to hire legal representation.
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