Victims of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey are being urged to file written notice of insurance claims before Friday.
That’s the day a new Texas law takes effect that will make it more difficult to sue insurers, attorneys and a consumer watchdog group warn.
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“If it is safe to return to your property and inspect damage, file written notice of your claim with your insurance company before September 01 to try to preserve at least some of your legal rights,” Ware Wendell, executive director of Texas Watch, told the Houston Chronicle.
But tort-reform advocates say that plaintiffs’ attorneys are overstating the urgency of the issue.
“To be out there at this time scaring people about their coverage when we are in a life-and-death situation, it’s not appropriate and it’s not truthful,” Texans for Lawsuit Reform spokesperson Lucy Nashed told the Chronicle.
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Supporters of the law say it will put a kibosh on “abusive and unnecessary” lawsuits, the Chronicle reported. But opponents claim it could potentially harm millions of property owners by restricting their access to the courts.
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