Our Results by County

We represented a retired couple whose tile roof was damaged in a severe hailstorm. The national insurer initially denied the claim. The denial letter stated the claim was being denied because only a few of the tiles sustained hail damage. The insurer claimed that most of the damage was caused by faulty tile or improper installation. After filing suit and taking numerous depositions of insurance company representatives, the case we resolved the case for $247,000.

We represented a commercial office building that sustained damage to its TPO-clad roof and approximately 32 roof-mounted HVAC units. The insurer found a portion of the HVAC units were damaged and issued approximately $66,000.00 for HVAC repairs but denied coverage for the roof. The insurer demanded appraisal after litigation and the appraisal panel determined the covered damages exceeded $697,000.00, including more than $479,000.00 to replace the storm-damaged TPO-roof and more than $189,000.00 to repair the HVAC damages.

A homeowner promptly filed a claim after the April 2016, San Antonio hail storm. This young lady had owned her home 10 years, and had never experienced roof leaks before the storm. Her large, national insurer sent an inexperienced, out-of-state adjuster. He paid her only $33.00 dollars on the claim. Although her home was in the swath zone of 3" hail, the home had a built-up gravel roof, making it difficult to identify visible damage. However, Pennebaker Law hired experts with experience working with gravel-roof systems. After this young homeowner retained Pennebaker Law, the insurer paid her $72,500. Now, she can replace her leaking roof. This case was resolved very early in the litigation process, and before any depositions were taken.

A local San Antonio dentist gave his insurer prompt notice after a wind and hail storm damaged his office building. The insurance company investigated the claim, basically determining that the 15-20-year-old gravel-and-bitumen roof was toward the end of its useful life, and only paid $38,000 on the claim. They denied the majority of the claim based on a "wear and tear" exclusion. The insurance company hired biased experts, including structural engineers, to rubber stamp a prior claim decision. Pennebaker Law hired competent and persuasive experts before filing a lawsuit on the dentist's behalf. We alleged damages to include: replacing the roof, interior water damage, lost rents, penalties and attorneys' fees. After a few depositions, the case settled for $353,000.

A single San Antonio mom moved out of her modest home and was in the process of slowly renovating when it was burned by an arsonist. She had responsibly purchased an insurance policy providing dwelling coverage in the amount of $90,000. Arson was confirmed by the Bexar County Fire Marshall. The insurance company hired an attorney and investigated the homeowner for arson. After the insurer's investigation conclusively established that she was not a suspect, the insurance company denied her claim on a technicality i.e. that the home had been vacant for more than 60 days. Prior to retaining our firm, the insurer refused to pay her any money on the claim. They offered her zero dollars. After we filed a lawsuit on behalf of the insured, the insurance company filed a Motion for Summary Judgment, attempting to get the case thrown out of court. The insurance company ultimately paid the homeowner $185,000.00 to resolve the litigation.

A San Antonio couple purchased their first home together. Unfortunately, they had a plumbing leak that caused damage to the foundation, as well as some cosmetic cracks throughout the home. The insurance adjuster hired a biased engineer who said the foundation movement was a normal settlement, and the insurance company denied the claim. After the homeowners hired our firm, we helped them hire the right experts to document their claim. After we filed suit and conducted discovery on the clients’ behalf, the insurance company paid more than the policy limits for foundation coverage to resolve the claim.

A major national carrier refused to pay for hail damage to a tile roof in the Dominion neighborhood. After another attorney declined the cases, we filed suit and won an appraisal award for the client in the amount of $180,000, after which the insurer paid $195,000 to resolve the case.

A major national carrier admitted that a recent storm caused hail damage to a metal roof. However, they refused to cover the damage, citing a “cosmetic roof exclusion” as the basis for denial. After filing suit, we argued that, even though there were no roof leaks, the damage was more functional damage, and more than merely cosmetic. We recovered $140,000 on behalf of the client.