A judge dismissed the lawsuit of a Starke woman seeking to force an insurance company to pay a claim for her damaged roof after insurance company lawyers pointed out that the woman’s lawyers failed to follow a new state law regulating such litigation.
Glory Jackson said in her complaint for breach of contract that she filed a claim in November 2020, for her home on Oak Street which sustained wind damage to its roof and that her insurer, Universal Property and Casualty Insurance Company, denied the claim.
Universal said it denied the claim because Jackson failed to cooperate with its investigation of the loss, failed to protect the property after the incident, and filed the claim over 10 months after the alleged wind damage. It also asserted that the damage to Jackson’s roof was caused by wear and tear rather than wind because no wind creases or tears were found on the roof.
In May, Universal filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, saying that under an insurance reform law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and taking effect in July 2021, plaintiffs filing lawsuits for insurance claims must report the litigation to the state’s Department of Insurance before filing the complaint in court.
On October 25 Judge George M. Wright agreed with Universal, dismissing the lawsuit. The judge dismissed the case without prejudice, allowing the plaintiff to refile the complaint.
