● The Insurance Expert Network, LLC (IEN) recently expanded its services to mediation and arbitration referrals. In response to a recent request it referred three mediators from its network of insurance experts, who are certified by the Mediation Training Institute (MTI). The IEN is also responding to requests from ADR organizations for conference speakers. The General Manager of IEN is an experienced expert witness and MTI certified mediator.

● In the latter part of August an attorney, representing an insurance carrier, went to trial seeking rescission of a commercial general liability policy written for, what appeared to be at the time, a limited liability corporation (LLC). The attorney retained a well credentialed underwriting and claims expert through IEN in June. The IEN expert presented testimony that the LLC was fictitious and therefore a material misrepresentation. Further, a certain question on the application was also answered falsely and also a material misrepresentation. The expert opined that the policy should be void ab initio. The court agreed with the expert and voided the policies.

● A licensed insurance agent/broker was needed as an expert in a case in Missouri. The attorney represented a plaintiff which had submitted a claim notification on one of their polices to their insurance agent.  The subject policy was written on a claims made basis.  The insurance agent for the plaintiff did not present the claim to the insurance carrier in a timely manner.  The carrier denied the claim on the basis of lack of timely claim notice.  The expert is to provide an opinion on whether the plaintiff's agent did or did not meet its duties and whether their actions fell with
industry customs and practices.  IEN referred three licensed experts who also were very well experienced expert witnesses.  One of the referred experts was retained by the attorney.

● Within 4 hours of the contacting of IEN, an attorney retained the expert that IEN had contacted and referred. The attorney represented a commercial insured which had a self-insured program covering its workers comp and health insurance. The company also had a stop-loss program for losses on the self insured health coverage. The claims handling for the both coverages was handled by a Third Party Administrator (TPA). One large loss and claim handled by the TPA was treated by the TPA as workers comp. The client company instructed this loss was to be handled as a Health loss instead. When, finally, the employee's claim was ruled as not workers comp, the stop loss carrier for the health insurance denied the claim due to late notice. The status of the case was such that the expert would need to provide a report within a week. The attorney needed an experienced claims adjuster who also managed and worked with TPA's. IEN referred an expert who met the criteria and also was able to provide the quick turnaround on the report.

● An attorney representing an insured considered two highly qualified business income claims experts referred to him by IEN. The attorney retained one of the experts. The matter for which the expert needed to provide an opinion involved a claim submitted to a carrier on a multi-level parking structure. Damages to the parking structure required city officials to close the garage for safety reasons. Business income losses were created by the closure of the structure. The expert is to provide an opinion on whether the carrier's actions or lack of action created increased losses under this coverage.

● An attorney using Google and the search term “life insurance expert” found IEN. Within 48 hours the attorney interviewed and retained a life insurance underwriting expert qualified to oppose the opinions expressed by the other side’s expert- a former head of one of the nation’s largest life insurance companies.  The expert is needed to review and report on a policy rescission based on material misrepresentation.  Within a 2 year contestability period the carrier rescinded the life Insurance policy based on answers given in the application.  The cited answers had been investigated by the carrier subsequent to the claim presentation.  The expert is to opine on whether the answers were misrepresentations or not.

●  An attorney retained an actuarial expert referred by IEN for a divorce case in order to establish the healthcare insurance costs of the spouse, but also provided a specialist health insurance agent expert.  In order to establish the total healthcare insurance costs through the time frame required, the actuary needed a reasonable, defensible starting point from which the long term costs could be established.  It was during the initial interview of the actuary by the attorney that the need for an insurance quote was established.  As IEN is deeply familiar with areas of expertise of their experts the right agent expert was in communication with the attorney the same day as the need was revealed.  The spouse had a pre-existing condition and the agent expert was able to quickly provide initial insurance coverage costs with fully and properly completed applications.

● An experienced, high ranking insurance claims expert was recently retained through IEN.  High-ranking in this matter meant a former insurance company claims executive.  The attorney who sought this expert had no one appropriate that he had worked with before.   After attempting to work with generalist referral services seeking two differently qualified experts the attorney contacted IEN.  Within 48 hours IEN presented three experts and the attorney had requested interviews with two of the three experts.  The attorney retained one of the experts and was able to use that expert for both needs due to the expert’s experience and certain certifications held.