Archive for July, 2009

The $50,000 Tweet?

Tuesday, July 28th, 2009

Our May 29 post warned about the danger of being sued for damages caused by blog entries, tweets, or Facebook content.

Today, Mashable reports on a Chicago Sun Times article about a real estate management company suing a tenant of one of its buildings. The May 12 tweet complained about the company's response to her allegations of mold in her apartment. The company was not amused, suing the woman for $50,000 in damages, claiming that she libeled them.

Make no mistake: it's expensive to respond to a lawsuit – let alone lose one. Let's hope that the woman had a homeowners or renters policy with optional "personal injury" coverage as we suggested in our original post. This coverage is NOT part of a standard homeowners policy, but can be added for about $15 or $20 per year.

For more information about personal insurance, contact Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance today.

Posted in Current Affairs, Law, Trends | No Comments »

Slips and Falls Can Be Costly. Protect Your Friends – and Yourself!

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Maybe it’s all the rain and snow we’ve had this year. Maybe it’s the economy . Maybe it’s the increase in ads for plaintiff attorneys. Whatever the cause, it seems we’ve seen an increase in slip-and-fall liability claims lately.

Our agency would normally see one or two slip-and-fall accidents in a 6-month period. This year, we’ve seen almost that many every month. On stairs and in parking lots, in retail stores and private homes, southern Mainers seem to be having trouble keeping their balance.

It’s possible that today’s higher unemployment rates have left fewer people with medical insurance available to pay for their emergency room visits and doctors’ treatments. With last winter’s heavy snow and this spring’s constant rain, surfaces have been especially slippery. Combine those factors with the power of suggestive advertising by plaintiff attorneys telling the public that “someone has GOT to pay”, and it may be logical that we have seen more slip-and-fall claims.

What can you do to protect your guests, yourself and your assets?

Maintain your property
Carry adequate liability insurance limits: equal to your net worth, or $500,000 for individuals and $1,000,000 for businesses – whichever is higher.
Report any injuries or incidents to your insurance agent.

For more information, call Noyes Hall & Allen Insurance.

Posted in Business Insurance, Home Insurance, safety | No Comments »