Articles by Jim Sams

Sams is editor of ClaimsJournal.com, the online resource and daily newsletter for property/casualty insurance claims professionals. ClaimsJournal is a member of the Wells Media Group. Sams can be reached at jsams@wellsmedia.com

La. Judge Mulling Further Sanctions Against Hurricane Damage Law Firm

A federal judge in New Orleans has called owners of McClenny Moseley & Associates back into his courtroom again, this time to decide if the law firm should be sanctioned — and if so, how much — for making misrepresentations …

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Accuses Hurricane Claim Law Firm of Fraud

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announced Friday that his department issued a cease-and-desist order to McClenny, Moseley & Associates, a Houston-based law firm that filed more than 1,500 hurricane-damage lawsuits in the state — many which duplicated filings made by …

Houston Law Firm Paid Almost $14M for ‘Prescreened’ Client Leads

The McClenny Moseley law firm agreed to pay $3,000 to $3,500 in advance for each prospective client referred to it by a marketing firm, at a total cost of nearly $14 million, according to documents submitted this week to a …

Nebraska Supreme: Rental Car Customer Doesn’t Owe Avis for ‘Voluntary’ Payment

No one threatened to sue Avis Rent a Car after Roynetta McDavid’s little sister borrowed her rental car without permission and smashed it into another vehicle. But a claims handler for the company paid three people who were hurt in …

Conn. Supreme Court Reverses Medical Malpractice Opinion Letter Precedent

For more than a decade, Connecticut courts have been dismissing medical malpractice actions if the plaintiff did not submit a proper certificate and opinion letter from “a similar health care provider” that supports the merits of the claim. The state …

Public Adjusters Can’t Also Be Appraisers on the Claim, Florida Supreme Court Finds

A public adjuster cannot act as an appraiser for a homeowner they represent when the insurance policy specifies that the appraiser must be “disinterested,” the Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday. The high court affirmed a 2nd District Court of Appeal …

31% of Workers Filing COVID Claims Suffer Long-Term, but Rate Declining: New York Fund

A report released this month by New York State Insurance Fund found that 31% of workers who filed claims for COVID-19 continued medical treatment or took time off work more than 60 days after the initial infection. NYSIF’s report is …

Criminal Attorney Signs on to Represent Houston Hurricane Claim Filing Law Firm

Houston, Texas-based McClenny Moseley & Associates hired a criminal defense lawyer after being sanctioned last week by a federal judge in New Orleans for filing lawsuits on behalf of a homeowner it did not represent. On Tuesday, the law firm …

Illinois Supreme Ct.: 5-Year Statute of Limitations Applies to Biometric Privacy Claims

Plaintiffs have five years to file claims to allege violations of the Illinois Biometric Privacy Act, the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday, rejecting arguments by business advocates that a one-year statute of limitations should apply. In a 5-0 decision, the …

McClenny Moseley Sanctioned by 3rd La. Judge for Duplicate Filings

Attorneys for McClenny Moseley & Associates appeared in a New Orleans courtroom Wednesday to explain why they claimed to represent a homeowner who says she didn’t hire the law firm, but did sign some paperwork handed to her by a …