Insurance appraisal is becoming a more and more popular alternative dispute resolution option concerning the amount of a covered loss. However, while appraisal clauses are often included in property insurance policies, there is rarely given a specific time period in which the property owner must demand appraisal. Courts are repeatedly being asked to determine whether an appraisal demand was either waived or demanded within a “reasonable time”.
A recent case out of Rhode Island, [1] is an example of a property owner waiting too long to demand appraisal. The insured’s home suffered water damage due to snow accumulation on the roof. The insureds made a claim in a timely manner and after the insurer inspected the home, issued a payment of approximately $15,000.
The insured’s though, apparently unsatisfied with this amount, but not so much that they were inclined to act more swiftly, waited for more than twenty months after receiving the check, requested appraisal pursuant to the policy’s terms and conditions. The insurer, at this point, denied the appraisal demand due to the request being untimely. The insureds then filed suit against the insurer, alleging that they had failed to honor the terms of the insurance policy concerning appraisal.
The Supreme Court of Rhode Island, upon appeal following the granting of summary judgment to the insurer, held that the delay in requesting appraisal was unreasonable. The Court stated that the insured’s conduct cannot be described as proceeding reasonably in good faith in waiting almost two years to invoke the appraisal clause of their policy. Due to this decision, the insurer was relieved of its contractual duty to participate in the appraisal process under the insurance policy.
This is a case example of the importance of promptly demanding appraisal when insureds dispute the amount of a covered loss. It is unclear as to the reason for the 20 month delay in making the determination that they should now pursue insurance appraisal, but the court obviously didn’t think any of their reasons, if any, held water.
[1] Machado v. Narragansett Bay Ins. Co., 2021 WL 2460417 (R.I. June 17, 2021).
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