Description

The fire completely destroyed the top floor of one of the resort’s buildings, as well as portions of the first floor — but the insurance company questioned the extent of damage to the first floor.

Issues

  • The resort needed to document the fire damage on each floor accurately and present it clearly in the property damage section of the insurance claim.
  • Due to the subjective nature of the business income insurance claim, it was crucial for ownership to understand what their business was entitled to under the terms of their policy. Business interruption damages had to be computed according to the parameters of the coverage contained in the policy.
  • The insurance company’s property damage appraisers analyzed a sample of the first-floor walls and decided that the first floor was salvageable.
  • The resort needed its own expert to assess the damage to ensure it would have the necessary funds to recover and resume its business operations.

Solutions Applied

The public adjusters from Globe Midwest/Adjusters International leveraged their expertise in business interruption and commercial property damage to accurately identify, quantify, and negotiate a fair and just settlement.

While fully reviewing Lakewood Resort’s insurance coverage, Globe Midwest/Adjusters International implemented a multi-prong strategy and ensured compliance within the requirements of the resort’s insurance policy. This process included performing detailed valuations of all building, equipment, and inventory losses while formulating a detailed business interruption model.

Of note, the public adjusters enlisted a trusted industrial hygienist to uncover a deeper level of evidence needed for the insurance company to feel comfortable agreeing with Globe Midwest’s position on the extent of damage to the first floor and to prove that this floor was unsalvageable. The process concluded by presenting an itemized claim package to the insurance company.

The Globe Midwest team secured the maximum amount of claim proceeds with minimal hassle while informing and advising our client every step of the way.

Outcome

The original offer made to Lakewood Resort by the insurance company was approximately $450,000. By engaging Globe Midwest public adjusters, the insurance company raised their offer by over 100% allowing for a settlement close to $1,000,000.

With the settlement funds in hand, Lakewood Resort knocked down the building and replaced it with a park, improving the property significantly.

Globe Midwest/Adjusters International. The right way to settle claims.

“If we hadn’t hired Globe Midwest, we would have walked away from hundreds of thousands of dollars by relying on the insurance company’s people.”

Ken Kwantes
Former President
Lakewood Resort Board of Directors