Insurer Denies Elderly Woman’s Fire Insurance Claim, Cancels Her Policy

An insurer canceled the policy of an elderly widow after it denied her fire insurance claim. Josephine DiCioccio had been living in her house for over 40 years until an electrical fire in February. Mrs. DiCioccio filed a fire insurance claim with her insurer in the hopes of recovering enough to repair the damage to her nearly-lifelong investment. Instead, the insurer claimed that the amount she listed on her paperwork was well over the value of the home and immediately canceled her policy.

Details of the Fire Insurance Claim

According to the documents from the fire insurance claim, Mrs. DiCioccio’s and her daughter, Annette Fiorella, filed the paperwork with the insurer. The claim amount included repairs to the home and replacements for the family’s furniture. When they submitted the fire insurance claim for the furniture, the insurance provider denied the claim. They also accused the mother and daughter of attempting to defraud the insurance carrier and canceled the policy without notice.

Fire Insurance Claim Denial Devastates Family

Mrs. DiCioccio told a local television station that the insurer’s denial of her fire insurance claim has adversely affected her and her family. She had been living in the home since the 1970s and had been renting rooms in the home to her adult children. She said that the fire insurance claim denial was “so unfair.” She received the cancellation letter through the mail, “not even a phone call,” she told reporters. She said that the cancellation letter left her feeling “mortified” and “upset.”

Furniture Sparks Dispute Over Fire Insurance Claim

The main reason for the denial of the fire insurance claim came from the insurer’s requirements for replacing the home’s furniture. According to Ms. Fiorella, the insurer told her that the furniture cited in the fire insurance claim “needed to be replaced with the exact name brand, and store, that the furniture initially came from.” Rather than receive new furniture as a replacement, the insurer may require their clients to replace their lost furniture with styles, brands and models that may no longer exist.

Attorneys Help With Fire Insurance Claim Disputes

The disagreement over the fire insurance claim may lead the insurer to “red-flag” Mrs. DiCioccio’s insurance record. A “red flag” means that a former policy holder may not be eligible for coverage from that carrier. The disputed fire insurance claim may also prevent Mrs. DiCioccio from getting coverage from other carriers. When such disputes arise, an experienced attorney can reach out to the insurer, determine the causes for the red flag, and potentially pursue legal action to have the restrictions removed.

Source: WIVB-TV

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NOTE: This blog post is a news story and does not imply an endorsement of Arguello Law Firm by any of the parties mentioned herein.