The Daily

Signorelli v. Firemans Fund

Another consumer victory we championed in the appellate courts.

Insurance companies often claim that everything they do on a particular claim is privileged and secret because it is their “work product” prepared in anticipation of litigation. That is not always true and we successfully appealed the issue in Signorelli v. Fireman’s Fund.

In that case, Ms. Signorelli sustained an injury at work in a doctor’s office when she injured her arm on an open filing cabinet. The neurological injury in her arm was diagnosed as RSD (reflex sympathetic dystrophy) by her doctors. They recommended an emergency sympathectomy to keep the injury from traveling from one arm to the other. When the carrier refused to approve the surgery, delaying it and forcing Ms. Signorelli to travel in a plane for a review by their physician – her treaters became outraged.

When we began representing Ms. Signorelli, we deposed all of the adjusters and the records custodians for Firemans Fund over a period of days. It was clear that they were with-holding documents related to the injury and their delay of her surgery. The trial judge agreed with my position that certain documents in their file that had not been produced should be produced to my client. Even then, the Carrier refused to produce them.

On appeal, the Second District Court of Appeal ruled that the Carrier had improperly with-held some of the documents and ordered them to be produced to us.

You can find the Signorelli decision here on our website. Fireman’s Fund v. Signorelli

The production of these documents was devastating to Firemans Fund’s position and helped move the parties to a fair settlement.

Be aware of your rights as a consumer of insurance and other services. If wronged, make sure you retain the services of experienced and aggressive counsel with a proven track record of holding even the largest companies accountable for your full compensation. No matter how long the fight needs to last.