Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Winning Your Injury Case Isn’t The End of the Fight
Let’s assume that you are in an accident. You sue, and the jury rules in your favor, and awards you a sum of money to compensate you for your injuries. You’ve won. The check will be arriving shortly, right? Well, not so fast. In many cases, the issue of whether you can actually collect… Read More »
Employees and Employees Should be Aware of the New FFCRA Law
The COVID pandemic has brought with it a host of new laws. While some have been well publicized, like laws that prohibit foreclosures or prohibit evictions, some—including important employment laws—have not gotten a lot of attention. One important new law is known as the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). Whether you are an… Read More »
Ordinance and Law Change Exclusions in Insurance Policies
We have written in the past about the difficulty that some businesses may face if they make business interruption or property damage insurance claims because of COVID related closures. Although the law is certainly relatively new, language in most policies seems to exclude damage done by viruses. Of course, many states and cities have… Read More »
What if Multiple Events Combine to Cause Property Damage?
When there is damage to your property you may think that you know what caused the damage. For example, if there is a strong windstorm that causes damage, it may be clear to you that the windstorm caused the damage. But in the real world, there can often be multiple reasons why property is… Read More »
What is Reinstatement and How Bank Errors Can Keep Homeowners in Foreclosure
When a homeowner is put into foreclosure, the initial reaction may be to fight the foreclosure. That is very valid; many foreclosures are fraudulent, instituted by the wrong party, or the bank simply doesn’t have the paperwork that it needs in order to foreclose. What is Reinstatement? Sometimes the homeowner wants to get current,… Read More »
Should You Worry About Second Liens Foreclosing?
When we talk about being in foreclosure, usually we talk about foreclosure on first liens—that is, the primary loan that you took out when you bought the home. First loans are called first because they are usually the first loan that you borrowed to buy the home that you are in. Second Loans But… Read More »
Was Your Property Damaged by Construction-Related Vibration Damage?
In the 70s, the saying “good vibrations” became pretty popular. And today, “good vibes” is part of our slang vocabulary, perhaps as something you say to someone to indicate you’re OK, or you hope someone else is doing OK. But when it comes to property damage and homeowner’s insurance, there really is no such… Read More »
What Kind of Experts are Used in Property Insurance Cases?
When we think of expert witnesses, we most often think of those that may be involved in personal injury cases, or criminal cases. But expert witnesses play a large part in homeowners’ insurance claims as well. It is important for every property damage insurance attorney and their clients, to know what kinds of experts… Read More »
Distracted Driving is More Dangerous Than You Think
Although the laws in Florida have toughened to try to discourage drivers from driving while using cell phones, distracted driving remains a serious and deadly problem. People often don’t realize just how dangerous it can be to be texting while operating a vehicle. What is Distracted Driving? Distracted driving is prevalent mainly because of… Read More »
Sinkholes: The Forgotten Danger to Property
Florida is home to a myriad of natural disasters which can cause catastrophic losses to property, homes and businesses. One such potential cause of damage are sinkholes. We tend to think of sinkholes as enormous, gaping holes that open up and swallow entire houses or roadways. But even small, slight sinkholes, that are not… Read More »