LUBBOCK, Texas — The Lubbock Independent School District filed a civil lawsuit Wednesday against several insurance companies. The civil petition claimed the companies underestimated the costs to repair Lubbock ISD property after hail damage in 2019 and 2020, according to a news release.
The news release said the two storms caused “massive and unmistakable” damages to the buildings.
“Virtually all of the roofs on Lubbock ISD’s campuses need to be replaced due to substantial hail damage,” the release said.
The release said the insurers hired companies to survey the damage, “who are well known hired guns for insurance companies.”
The release said damages “may well exceed” $100 million.
Read the full release by Daly & Black P.C. below:
Attached is a petition Daly & Black, P.C. filed yesterday on behalf of the Lubbock Independent School District, having been hired by the school’s Board, and approved by the Texas Attorney General.
As detailed in the suit, on or about May 23, 2019, a hail and wind storm hit the Lubbock area, damaging a handful of buildings and other property owned and operated by Lubbock ISD. Lubbock ISD did not realize, at the time, that any of its property had been damaged by the 2019 storm. On or about May 20, 2020, a much larger and more damaging storm hit the Lubbock area, damaging the vast majority of buildings (and other property) comprising most, if not all, of Lubbock ISD’s campuses. On May 26, 2020, Lubbock ISD filed claims with Defendants under both the 2019 and 2020 insurance policies.
The damages to Lubbock ISD’s buildings and other property was massive and unmistakable. Virtually all of the roofs on Lubbock ISD’s campuses need to be replaced due to substantial hail damage. Many of the roofs are suffering from massive leaks from the storms. The petition alleges that, nevertheless, the Insurers hired companies to do inspections and take photos who are well known hired guns for insurance companies who routinely delay their inspections, fail to find damage, intentionally photograph areas that lack damage rather than areas that are damaged, invent reasons for the damage that are excluded under policies (such as wear and tear, improper installation, cosmetic damage, etc.), and drastically underestimate the costs to repair or replace property.
We believe the filing represents one of the largest first party property damages cases ever filed in Texas. The petition alleges damages that may well exceed $100,000,000.
Daly & Black was recently named the number one firm in the nation for plaintiff insurance disputes by the National law Journal.
Please contact Richard Daly or John Black for comment on the matter: (713) 655-1405.
