Quackenbush Criticizes Firms’ 1-Year Insurance Claim Limits

Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush on Monday blasted insurance companies that have refused to pay for Northridge earthquake damage because of a one-year time limit, saying they are hiding behind an incorrect reading of the law, abusing consumers and using a stalling tactic to avoid paying fair claims.

Unlike floods or tornadoes, Quackenbush said, quake damage is often hidden and takes longer to detect. His reading of the time limit statute is that homeowners have one year to file a damage claim once they actually discover the full extent of quake damage.

The vast majority of Northridge quake damage claims have been settled, Quackenbush said. But his new opinion, he hopes, will shorten legal battles in 450 cases now in the courts and pressure companies “to pay the righteous claims.”