Praedictix has helped numerous law firms in weather related cases. In early 2015, we were hired by a Minnesota law firm to provide a forensic weather analysis of storms that impacted a group of townhomes in 2012. Our team of experts studied the event in question, providing detailed meteorological reports.
The Challenge
A Minnesota Homeowner’s Association submitted a claim after being impacted by multiple severe thunderstorms that resulted in wind and hail damage. Its insurance company offered only $35,000 to repair the property despite the $1.1 million estimate provided by its contractor. The insurance company claimed no significant wind or hail impacted the property. The Association tried for nearly two years to negotiate the claim without success.
The Solution
The Praedictix forensic team was able to reconstruct the weather conditions that resulted in damage to the property. An overwhelming amount of evidence was presented showing that large hail and damaging wind did indeed produce damage to the Association. Not only was the Doppler radar compelling and key in Praedictix’s forensic analysis, but damage reports, photographs, and geo-tagged social media posts further supported our analysis. In addition to a written report, Praedictix provided a video presentation where our expert meteorologist was able to showcase animations, bringing our analysis to life.
The Result
It was obvious that the insurance company significantly undervalued the storm damage claim. After a thorough presentation and a final interview with our expert meteorologist, the appraisal panel awarded the Association nearly $1 million. This was more than 24 times the insurance company’s settlement offer. The law firm specifically cited AerisWeather as the key to this case’s success.
“Paul Douglas and his team have provided detailed, concise, and pure sustainable reports and testimony. This has proved invaluable to our firm’s representation of clients who have had weather-related damages. AerisWeather has been accessible, reliable, and is based upon sound scientific analysis. One of the strongest things that Paul’s team brings to the table is the video graphics of a storm or weather patterns. AerisWeather’s concise presentation through its written report and video demonstrably supports its opinions. Of course, then supporting expert testimony that is utterly professional and thorough.”