Are You Man Enough to Overpower Insurance Company Bullies? Should You Have to Be?

Where in your insurance policy does it say you have to be “man enough” to overpower insurance company adjusters?  I promise you, it’s not in there!

When we pay premiums for a policy, we are paying for the promise from the insurance company that they will make us whole if some covered loss were to damage our property.  We’re not expecting to have to verbally or physically “out man” the insurance company’s hired guns—or is it hired goons?

This case involved a gas station in Louisiana which sustained serious wind and water damage from Hurricane Isaac.  Our client filed a claim, and the insurance company, Essex Insurance Company, through it’s “Claims Service Manager,” Markel Service Incorporated, hired Mr. Brett Patin, an “independent” adjuster, to purportedly handle the claim.

Mr. Patin is the star of the video deposition clip above.  Now, even from the little I’ve laid out, how likely does it seem that our client was going to get fair treatment and the benefit of his policy?  Our client had to go through Mr. Brett “Man Enough” Patin first.  Mr. Patin wasn’t even an employee of Markel.  Failing that, our client would have to go through Markel before reaching someone at Essex to address any issue he might have with his claim.  Sound familiar?  Roadblock after roadblock…?  Make things hard enough, and most people will go away?  Boxing Gloves (as opposed to good hands) strategy?

Fortunately the policy holder in this case hired our firm, and Mr. Justin Chopin (who took this deposition) did a great job representing our client.  Even though Mr. Chopin allegedly wasn’t “man enough” to convince Mr. Patin that the claim should be paid, he was “Attorney Enough” to get the case settled a few weeks after Mr. Patin’s brilliant performance in his video deposition.  In a way, I’m sad that we couldn’t take this to trial.  I would love to see how women on the jury would react to this insurance company’s methods.

Thank you, Justin, for doing such a great job.  Thank you, Mr. Patin, for coming out and showing the public what insurance companies try to hide behind innocuous labels and slogans: that it’s nearly impossible for an unrepresented policy holder to get a fair shake—unless, I guess, they’re “man enough” to beat up the insurance companies’ goons.At Arguello Law Firm, we delight in fighting bullies like Mr. Patin, insurance companies, and misbehaving corporations.  If you’re being bullied, give us a call.  There’s a good chance we can help, as, fortunately, in our civil justice system you don’t have to be “man enough,” or even a man to get justice.