Kelley Kronenberg Secures a Complete Defense Verdict in Hurricane Irma Trial

On June 16, 2022, Kelley Kronenberg obtained a complete defense verdict involving a first-party property insurance claim in Miami Dade Circuit Court.  The Honorable Valerie Manno-Schurr presided.   

A team of attorneys from Kelley Kronenberg’s First-Party Property Division, including partners Munir Barakat and Eric Gressman, and attorney Benjamin Jaffe, successfully obtained the favorable verdict after a four-day trial.   

According to Plaintiffs, as a result of Hurricane Irma, their roof was so badly damaged it required replacement, and their interior walls and floors required repair due to the associated roof leaks. The insurance company denied coverage after which Plaintiffs brought a breach of contract action in Circuit Court.   

At trial, Plaintiffs introduced evidence and expert testimony concluding the losses were a direct result of the hurricane.  While the damages claimed were valued at only $45,000.00, the carrier faced exposure of hundreds of thousands of dollars in potential attorney’s fees.  The Kelley Kronenberg defense team presented evidence that two years passed between Hurricane Irma and the homeowners’ discovery of the needed repairs and argued Plaintiff’s losses were caused by normal wear and tear, an exclusion under the homeowner’s “Wind Only” policy.  After deliberations, the jury returned a verdict in the insurance company’s favor, finding no liability,  on June 16, 2022.   The jury found that there were no exterior or interior damages from Hurricane Irma.  

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Kelley Kronenberg is a multi-practice business law firm with over 400 employees, more than 200 attorneys, and 12 locations throughout Florida and the United States. Founded in 1980, the firm is one of the fastest-growing law firms in Florida and amongst the largest in the U.S. The firm serves all types and sizes of public and private companies, including small businesses and individuals nationwide. Kelley Kronenberg has been recognized amongst the “Largest U.S. Law Firms” by the National Law Journal’s NLJ 500, Law 360 400, and Florida Trend in 2020, “America’s Top Corporate Law Firms” by Forbes and “Top 10” in NLJ’s “Women’s Scorecard” 2019. The firm has been the recipient of many accolades most recently including: “Best Multi-Practice Business Law Firm – USA,” Acquisition International; “Business of the Year,” “Top 100 Private Companies,” “Top Law Firms,” and “Largest Law Firms,” South Florida Business Journal; “Largest Law Firms,” Tampa Bay Business Journal, Orlando Business Journal,  and Jacksonville Business Journal; “Biggest Law Firms in Florida,” Florida Trend; “Top 100 Law Firms,” South Florida Business & Wealth; Florida’s Largest Law Firms,” American Lawyer’s, Daily Business Review “Review 100;” and “Best Law Firms,” U.S. News – Best Lawyers®. The firm earned the 2021 Ragan’s Top Places to Work and Top Workplaces USA award by Energage and “Top Workplaces for Communication, Top Workplaces for Clued-In Leaders, Top Workplaces for Top Leaders, and Top Workplaces for Innovation.” Kelley Kronenberg has also been recognized as a “Top Workplace” by the Sun-Sentinel and a “Best Place to Work” by the South Florida Business Journal for two consecutive years.  For more information, visit www.kklaw.com.