Tred R. Eyerly | Insurance Law Hawaii | February 5, 2018
A Circuit Court in Florida issued a final judgment determining that the insured’s obligation to comply with building code provisions was included in the property damage experienced. Pin-Pon Corp. v. Landmark, Am. Ins. Co., No. 312009CA012244 (Fla. Cir. Ct. Dec. 28, 2017). The decision is here.
At trial, the plaintiff’s architect testified that the total pricing for the code upgrades was $6.2 million. On appeal, the appellate court ruled that plaintiff’s Exhibit 98, an Upgrade Insurance Claim, was improperly admitted as a business record. The appellate court stated that the jury may have considered Exhibit 98 in determining the amount of code upgrade damages. Therefore, the verdict was reversed and remanded for a trial on the code upgrade damages only.
On remand, the plaintiff presented testimony from its architect that the code upgrades were required by the 2004 Florida Building Code because the storm damaged more than 50% of the aggregate area of the building. Another witness testified that the amount of code upgrade damages sustained by the plaintiff and submitted to Landmark was $6.2 million. The testimony and documentary evidence submitted by the plaintiff showed that the cost analysis and methodology used in preparing it was accurate.
Landmark did not present any testimony regarding the scope of code upgrade repairs required by the building code. Nor did Landmark present any testimony establishing that plaintiff’s claimed damages were unreasonable or unnecessary. Therefore, Pin-Pon was allowed to recover from Landmark the amount of $5,644,668.79, together with statutory interest.