MONTE KENNEDY
v.
HOMEOWNERS CHOICE PROPERTY & CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, INC.

Fla. 3d DCA | 2024-01-31
No. 2022-1385
2024 FL 953 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (2024)

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Holding

When an insured breaches a policy's notice provision by reporting a loss untimely, prejudice to the insurer is presumed, but the insured may rebut this presumption by proving the insurer was not actually prejudiced by the delay.


Headnotes

[1] When an insured fails to report a loss to the insurer within the time required by the policy, a presumption of prejudice to the insurer arises; the insured may overcome t…

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Key Quotes

“The question of whether an insured's untimely reporting of loss is sufficient too result in the denial of recovery under the policy implicates a two-step analysis. If the insured breaches the notice provision, prejudice to the insurer will be presumed, but may be rebutted by a showing that the insurer has not been prejudiced by the lack of notice.”

Perez v. Citizens Prop. Ins. Corp., 343 So. 3d 140, 142 (Fla. 3d DCA 2022)

Facts & Procedural History

Monte Kennedy appealed a circuit court decision regarding his homeowners insurance claim with Homeowners Choice Property & Casualty Insurance Company,…

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Opinion of the Court

PER CURIAM.

Affirmed. See Perez v. Citizens Prop. Ins. Corp., 343 So. 3d 140, 142 (Fla. 3d DCA 2022) (“The question of whether an insured’s untimely reporting of loss is sufficient too result in the denial of recovery under the policy implicates a two-step analysis. If the insured breaches the notice provision, prejudice to the insurer will be presumed, but may be rebutted by a showing that the insurer has not been prejudiced by the lack of notice.” (internal citations omitted)); LoBello v. State Farm Fla. Ins. Co., 152 So. 3d 595, 600 (Fla. 2d DCA 2014) (“[I]f the undisputed evidence will not support a finding that the insured gave notice to the insurer as soon as practicable, then a finding that notice was timely given is unsupportable.”); Hope v. Citizens Prop. Ins. Corp., 114 So. 3d 457, 460 (Fla. 3d DCA 2013) (finding the record did not set forth evidence sufficient to rebut the presumption of prejudice to the insurer resulting from the homeowners delayed notice of loss; the evidence was “merely conclusory and fails to rebut the presumption of prejudice to [the insurer] where the passage of time has rendered [the insurer] unable to determine exactly what current damage is directly attributable to Hurricane Wilma, and thus a covered loss.”).


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