My Cheesecakes Spoiled After A Windstorm-- or a Windy Storm?
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
Release Date: 05/06/2025
Michigan PIP Puzzles
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
John, a self-employed trucker, injures himself fixing his rig “Betsy” (1st PIP claim). Later, he’s hurt again when a mechanic’s shuttle van crashes (2nd PIP claim). Two accidents, two PIP claims—one while working, one as a passenger—make for a rough day. Notable Timestamps [ 00:17 ] - John has two injury claims in Michigan: a slip and fall while working on his truck (Injury 1) and being rearended while a passenger in a mechanic's shuttle van (Injury 2). [ 01:02 ] - Michigan was once the most expensive state for car insurance but has fallen to the sixth most expensive...
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Your Insurance Policy Will Decide When You’re Done Ridesharing
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
A "FastFeast" driver ends their shift but forgets to log out of the app. On the way home, they crash—and their insurance denies the claim. Why? They were still “on the job.” In the gig economy, one tap can mean the difference between coverage and denial. Notable Timestamps [ 00:01 ] - The core scenario involves a driver for the delivery app FastFeast who had an accident on the way home after their shift and whose insurance claim was denied because they were still logged into the app. [ 02:07 ] - A ghost kitchen is a delivery-only establishment with no physical storefront that...
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My Insurance Policy has a Death Clause!
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
Our insured, a widow with two adult kids, dies in a house fire. Her son, who planned to move out soon, escapes unharmed. Her daughter, who lives out of state but stores a drum set in the basement, is the executrix and returns home to handle next steps and insurance. Notable Timestamps [ 01:00 ] - The son planned to move into his girlfriend’s apartment by the end of the month [ 02:00 ] - The death clause in the HO3 form is explained as a critical provision ensuring the dwelling remains covered after the named insured's death until the estate can be settled. [ 03:00 ] - The policy...
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Does a Windstorm Deductible Apply to My Spoiled Cheesecakes?
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
A windstorm-caused power outage at the Cheesecake Manufactory led to the spoilage of hundreds of cheesecakes and a business income loss. The adjuster is questioning if the windstorm deductible applies to the claim, despite the power outage being the direct cause of the spoilage. Notable Timestamps [ 00:00 ] - The scenario presented involves a windstorm that caused a power outage, leading to spoiled cheesecakes and a claim for spoilage and lost business income, raising the central question of whether the windstorm deductible applies given the chain of events. [ 01:30 ] - Trivia: Where...
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My Cheesecakes Spoiled After A Windstorm-- or a Windy Storm?
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
A windstorm knocks over a power line, causing hundreds of cheesecakes at a local restaurant to spoil. The owners have to close for a few days as they manufacture more. Their adjuster wants to know how to investigate the storm and power outage. Notable Timestamps [ 00:20 ] - The loss of desserts is always tragic, even lemon merengue. [ 01:00 ] - Trivia: Which variety of cheesecake contains "quark"? Or should we say "Weißkäse"? [ 01:50 ] - PLRB.org features a Weather and Catastrophe hub designed for insurance professionals and not for cat enthusiasts. [ 02:17 ] - Users can get a full...
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A Flipped Van, a Plumber on Shrooms, and the BOP Policy
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
A plumber drove the company truck the wrong way on a busy highway for some time before he realized, panicked, swerved, and flipped the truck. Police believe he was on illegal drugs, although he disputes it. His employer claims equipment damage under their BOP policy. Notable Timestamps [ 00:25 ] - The plumber (the business) is now making a claim under their businessowners policy, BP 00 03 07 13, for the $50,000 worth of plumbing equipment and parts damaged in the accident. [ 01:45 ] - This episode was filmed at the 2025 PLRB Claims Conference in Indianapolis, right in the middle of the Expo...
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The Appraisal Process – Is it Still Useful to Resolve Disputed Claims?
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
An adjuster working on a complex property damage claim closes the file, having paid out on the claim. Then they receive a notice that the insured is demanding appraisal. They call up the insured, only to find out that the insured has no idea what’s going on. About Our Guest Steven J. Badger, Partner, Zelle LLP [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-badger-467b0322/ Notable Timestamps [ 00:20 ] - The insured signed a form on a tabet, presented to them by the contractor, without realizing it authorized a later appraisal demand. [ 01:13 ] - Steve shares an anecdote about his...
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Invoking “Our Option” – Increased Use of Preferred Contractor Networks
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
A Texas adjuster gets an assignment for a simple hail damage claim. He anticipates having to argue with the roofing contractor, debate whether overhead and profit is owed, deal with the supplementing company, receive an appraisal demand, and finally face a lawsuit. About Our Guest Steven J. Badger, Partner, Zelle LLP [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/in/steven-badger-467b0322/ Notable Timestamps [ 00:20 ] - Because of his years of experience, he knows that the 30 square comp shingle roof should cost about $20,000 to replace. (Amount provided is for reference and...
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The PLRB Insurance Services Expo & You
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
Let’s say you’re a service provider in the insurance industry. You’ve been attending PLRB Conferences for a few years, and you’re thinking about taking the next step to increase exposure and build relationships with the right people in the industry. Notable Timestamps [ 01:20 ] - Exhibiting and sponsoring at the PLRB Claims Conference can be an impactful option, and PLRB has a variety of offerings to help each service provider reach their goals. [ 01:50 ] - For our trivia question today, last year at the Claims Conference we had over 3000 attendees, and over 950 of those...
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The Police Shot My Heating Oil Tank (and a Burglar)
What's the Scenario? with PLRB
In the middle of the night, a burglar broke into the policyholder’s house. Nearby police arrived, and the suspect was apprehended. Debbie filed a claim for the police’s bullet holes in her house and cleanup of heating oil spilled when a bullet hit the tank. Notable Timestamps [ 00:15 ] - The bullet holes were all from police guns. 150 gallons of heating oil spilled in the basement. [ 01:40 ] - Heating oil tanks are most commonly found in what region of the United States? [ 03:30 ] - Tim reads through the Pollutants exclusion. Heating oil is most likely going to be considered a...
info_outlineA windstorm knocks over a power line, causing hundreds of cheesecakes at a local restaurant to spoil. The owners have to close for a few days as they manufacture more. Their adjuster wants to know how to investigate the storm and power outage.
Notable Timestamps
[ 00:20 ] - The loss of desserts is always tragic, even lemon merengue.
[ 01:00 ] - Trivia: Which variety of cheesecake contains "quark"? Or should we say "Weißkäse"?
[ 01:50 ] - PLRB.org features a Weather and Catastrophe hub designed for insurance professionals and not for cat enthusiasts.
[ 02:17 ] - Users can get a full weather/cat report from the historical weather section of the Weather and Cat hub by entering an address and date range.
[ 03:11 ] - A full weather/cat report provides data including hail, wind, precipitation, lightning probability, storm reports, and watches/warnings.
[ 04:15 ] - For this scenario, the report showed evidence of strong winds, such as a 72 or 73 mile per hour gust reported near the scenario's location in Waco, Texas.
[ 06:08 ] - The PLRB hub also offers a power outage report tool which uses data from power outage US and covers 80% of the United States.
[ 07:18 ] - The power outage report can show the location of outages near the address, indicating that power was out in the general area.
[ 08:13 ] - Both the full weather/cat report and the power outage report can be combined to provide evidence, in this scenario for example, that a storm came through and knocked out power for the area.
[ 09:59 ] - Dylan provides a recap of the scenario and the points above.
Your PLRB Resources
Get a Full Weather/CAT Report (hail, wind, precipitation, more) - https://www.plrb.org/weather-cat/plrb-cat-data/
PLRB Catastrophe Services Launches New Power Outage Reports - https://www.plrb.org/documents/plrb-catastrophe-services-launches-new-power-outage-reports/?search=power%20outage%202025
Mankoff v. Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exch., No. 05-22-00963-CV, 2024 Tex. App. LEXIS 594 (Tex. App. 01/29/2024) (Court of Appeals of Texas, 5th District, applying TX law) [reviewed at PLRB, Prop. Ins. L. Rev. (2024)] - https://www.plrb.org/documents/mankoff-v-privilege-underwriters-reciprocal-exch-2024/?search=mankoff
Employees of member companies also have access to a searchable legal database, hundreds of hours of video trainings, building code materials, weather data, and even the ability to have your coverage questions answered by our team of attorneys (https://www.plrb.org/ask-plrb/) at no additional charge to you or your company.
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Legal Information
The views and opinions expressed in this resource are those of the individual speaker and not necessarily those of the Property & Liability Resource Bureau (PLRB), its membership, or any organization with which the presenter is employed or affiliated. The information, ideas, and opinions are presented as information only and not as legal advice or offers of representation. Individual policy language and state laws vary, and listeners should rely on guidance from their companies and counsel as appropriate.
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