Usually yes, but not always, and the exceptions are where Florida dog owners get hurt. Most homeowners and renters policies include personal liability coverage that pays for a dog bite claim, including the injured person’s medical bills and your legal defense, up to the policy limit. But breed exclusions, prior-incident exclusions, business-use exclusions and “animal…
If you have been notified of a claim or a lawsuit after an accident, and you have insurance coverage in place, your insurance company has likely already stepped in. An adjuster may be handling the claim. If the matter moves into litigation, your carrier may assign a defense attorney, often from a large firm that…
Getting served with a lawsuit because someone fell on your property is jarring, especially if you believe your store, restaurant, or rental property was reasonably safe. The good news is that being sued does not mean you are automatically responsible. Florida law puts real burdens on the person suing you, and understanding those burdens from…
The phone call goes something like this: someone received a letter from an attorney’s office, it mentions an accident, it demands a sum of money, and now the person on the other end of the line is convinced they are being sued. In the vast majority of these cases, they are not. What they have…
What Dog Owners and Drivers Need to Know When Insurance Is Not Enough If you have been sued—or are dealing with a pre-suit claim—after a dog bite or car accident, you may hear a term that catches you off guard: “personal contribution.” Most people immediately ask the same question:Why would I have to pay anything…
The Reality of Injury Claims Involving Unauthorized Tenant Modifications When someone is injured in a rental home, their first instinct is often to blame the landlord. And when a tenant makes an unauthorized modification—installing their own ceiling fan, removing safety features, replacing flooring, altering steps, or experimenting with electrical repairs—the situation becomes complicated fast. As…
The Reality of Holiday Social Host Liability in Florida Christmas parties are meant to be fun, festive, and full of good memories. But every year in Florida, someone hosts a holiday gathering where a guest drinks too much, leaves the event, and later causes an accident. When that happens, plaintiffs often try to bring the…
When Holiday Cheer Turns Into a Trip-and-Fall Claim It’s Christmas time in Florida, and your front yard looks spectacular. You’ve got a 12-foot inflatable Santa, a glowing Rudolph, a snow globe taller than your mailbox, and enough extension cords to power Epcot. The neighborhood loves it. Kids point. Neighbors smile. Cars slow down to admire…
Dog owners are often surprised to learn that a lawsuit can still follow even when a dog never bites anyone. In Florida, injury claims involving dogs are not limited to bites. Falls, trips, and other incidents allegedly caused by a dog’s presence frequently lead to insurance claims and lawsuits. These situations are common. A dog…
When a Christmas Surprise Turns Into a Dog Bite Claim You’re sound asleep on Christmas Eve. The stockings are hung, cookies are on the counter, and your dog is snoring peacefully at the foot of the bed. Suddenly, a jolly intruder enters your home through the fireplace in the middle of the night. Your dog…
When Holiday Magic Turns Into a Legal Problem Every Christmas Eve, millions of Floridians go to bed imagining Santa landing gently on their roofs, delivering gifts, and disappearing into the night. But what if the night doesn’t go as planned? Picture it: Santa, mid-delivery, lands on your roof with his reindeer. Maybe the shingles are…
When Holiday Deliveries and Excited Dogs Collide It’s December in Florida—Prime trucks everywhere, Amazon vans buzzing like mosquitoes, FedEx working overtime, and UPS drivers becoming unofficial members of the family. Packages are showing up daily, sometimes hourly. Your dog loves this.Barking! Visitors! Boxes! Footsteps! Pure adrenaline. So when the delivery driver walks up with a…