In the past several weeks, Michigan has seen a significant amount of severe weather. There have been blizzards, ice storms, freezing rain, and arctic temperatures. The elements have done a considerable amount of damage to properties throughout the state. In these circumstances, the inevitable question arises – who is responsible to pay for the damage when nobody is seemingly responsible for causing it?

Many people are surprised to learn that insurance policies will cover damage that results when there is no person to blame. With all insurance claims the language of the insurance policy governs the rights of the insured party and the obligations of the insurance company. Responsibility ultimately falls upon the insured party to understand the terms of coverage. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the insured party to properly articulate a claim and to support it.

Insurance companies have toll free telephone numbers for insured parties to make claims. This makes it convenient to make the claim. However, this convenience sometimes comes at the cost of completeness. That is, insured parties are often at a disadvantage during the claims process as it relates to the insurance company. Therefore, it is usually a good idea to have an attorney assist an insured party to understand their coverage and to properly make a claim.  

— Kassem Dakhlallah is a senior partner with At Law Group, PLLC.  His practice focuses on complex litigation, including class actions, representative actions, commercial litigation, civil forfeiture and personal injury. He can be reached at (313) 406-7606 and kd@atlawgroup.com.