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The Florida Senate

2014 Florida Statutes

Title XXXVII INSURANCE
Chapter 627 INSURANCE RATES AND CONTRACTS Entire Chapter
SECTION 7015
Alternative procedure for resolution of disputed property insurance claims.
F.S. 627.7015
627.7015 Alternative procedure for resolution of disputed property insurance claims.—
(1) This section sets forth a nonadversarial alternative dispute resolution procedure for a mediated claim resolution conference prompted by the need for effective, fair, and timely handling of property insurance claims. There is a particular need for an informal, nonthreatening forum for helping parties who elect this procedure to resolve their claims disputes because most homeowner and commercial residential insurance policies obligate policyholders to participate in a potentially expensive and time-consuming adversarial appraisal process before litigation. The procedure set forth in this section is designed to bring the parties together for a mediated claims settlement conference without any of the trappings or drawbacks of an adversarial process. Before resorting to these procedures, policyholders and insurers are encouraged to resolve claims as quickly and fairly as possible. This section is available with respect to claims under personal lines and commercial residential policies before commencing the appraisal process, or before commencing litigation. Mediation may be requested only by the policyholder, as a first-party claimant, or the insurer. If requested by the policyholder, participation by legal counsel is permitted. Mediation under this section is also available to litigants referred to the department by a county court or circuit court. This section does not apply to commercial coverages, to private passenger motor vehicle insurance coverages, or to disputes relating to liability coverages in policies of property insurance.
(2) At the time a first-party claim within the scope of this section is filed by the policyholder, the insurer shall notify the policyholder of its right to participate in the mediation program under this section. The department shall prepare a consumer information pamphlet for distribution to persons participating in mediation.
(3) The costs of mediation shall be reasonable, and the insurer shall bear all of the cost of conducting mediation conferences, except as otherwise provided in this section. If an insured fails to appear at the conference, the conference shall be rescheduled upon the insured’s payment of the costs of a rescheduled conference. If the insurer fails to appear at the conference, the insurer shall pay the insured’s actual cash expenses incurred in attending the conference if the insurer’s failure to attend was not due to a good cause acceptable to the department. An insurer will be deemed to have failed to appear if the insurer’s representative lacks authority to settle the full value of the claim. The insurer shall incur an additional fee for a rescheduled conference necessitated by the insurer’s failure to appear at a scheduled conference. The fees assessed by the administrator shall include a charge necessary to defray the expenses of the department related to its duties under this section and shall be deposited in the Insurance Regulatory Trust Fund.
(4) The department shall adopt by rule a property insurance mediation program to be administered by the department or its designee. The department may also adopt special rules which are applicable in cases of an emergency within the state. The rules shall be modeled after practices and procedures set forth in mediation rules of procedure adopted by the Supreme Court. The rules shall provide for:
(a) Reasonable requirement for processing and scheduling of requests for mediation.
(b) Qualifications, denial of application, suspension, revocation of approval, and other penalties for mediators as provided in s. 627.745 and the Florida Rules for Certified and Court-Appointed Mediators.
(c) Provisions governing who may attend mediation conferences.
(d) Selection of mediators.
(e) Criteria for the conduct of mediation conferences.
(f) Right to legal counsel.
(5) All statements made and documents produced at a mediation conference shall be deemed to be settlement negotiations in anticipation of litigation within the scope of s. 90.408. All parties to the mediation must negotiate in good faith and must have the authority to immediately settle the claim. Mediators are deemed to be agents of the department and shall have the immunity from suit provided in s. 44.107.
(6) Mediation is nonbinding; however, if a written settlement is reached, the insured has 3 business days within which the insured may rescind the settlement unless the insured has cashed or deposited any check or draft disbursed to the insured for the disputed matters as a result of the conference. If a settlement agreement is reached and is not rescinded, it shall be binding and act as a release of all specific claims that were presented in that mediation conference.
(7) If the insurer fails to comply with subsection (2) by failing to notify a policyholder of its right to participate in the mediation program under this section or if the insurer requests the mediation, and the mediation results are rejected by either party, the policyholder is not required to submit to or participate in any contractual loss appraisal process of the property loss damage as a precondition to legal action for breach of contract against the insurer for its failure to pay the policyholder’s claims covered by the policy.
(8) The department may designate an entity or person to serve as administrator to carry out any of the provisions of this section and may take this action by means of a written contract or agreement.
(9) For purposes of this section, the term “claim” refers to any dispute between an insurer and a policyholder relating to a material issue of fact other than a dispute:
(a) With respect to which the insurer has a reasonable basis to suspect fraud;
(b) Where, based on agreed-upon facts as to the cause of loss, there is no coverage under the policy;
(c) With respect to which the insurer has a reasonable basis to believe that the policyholder has intentionally made a material misrepresentation of fact which is relevant to the claim, and the entire request for payment of a loss has been denied on the basis of the material misrepresentation;
(d) With respect to which the amount in controversy is less than $500, unless the parties agree to mediate a dispute involving a lesser amount; or
(e) With respect to a windstorm or hurricane loss that does not comply with s. 627.70132.
History.—s. 20, ch. 93-410; s. 1186, ch. 2003-261; s. 2, ch. 2003-267; s. 2, ch. 2003-281; s. 15, ch. 2005-111; s. 14, ch. 2012-151; s. 4, ch. 2014-86; s. 28, ch. 2014-123.