Attorney Robert M. Parodi

   Not too long ago I tried an interesting insurance coverage case in Superior Court. The client owned a three story 17 unit apartment building where a fire occurred. While the fire only damaged a third story apartment, the apartments under it on the first and second floors sustained some minor water damage.My client, with the assistance of a public adjuster, had resolved most of the claim with his property insurer. My client retained a contractor to remove and replace the roof which needed to be rebuilt as a result of the fire loss. While the permanent roof was off, a three day period of rain and wind tore off the tarps and coverings of the temporary roof causing extensive water damage to the entire building. My client's new insurance company (Builders Risk) placed the general contractor on notice but failed to properly adjust the loss by claiming that unremediated water damage from the fire loss caused extensive mold throughout the building and thus there was no new damage as a result of the water loss. Curiously the same insurance carrier also insured the general contractor. The case settled for approximately one million dollars after the first day of trial even though the cost of the repairs to the building, if made within a reasonable time, was about $275,000.00.

    In 2013 I tried a wrongful death case in Federal Court that eventually settled for a sizable confidential amount. This too was a case where the police claimed the deceased plaintiff was at fault, however, that opinion was excluded from trial.

    One of the things in common for all of the above cases is that I had clients who were good people and who actively participated in the preparation and presentation of their respective cases.

    Civic and Community Involvement: