Duty to Advise Archives - Professional Liability Matters

January 7, 2019 Agents and Brokers

Is There a Duty to Advise?

The Alabama Supreme Court recently issued what could turn out to be an important decision on the duty to advise. The court in Somnus Mattress Corp. v. Hilson, 2018 WL 6715777 (Ala. Sup. Ct. Dec. 21, 2018) affirmed a decision dismissing claims against an insurance agent for alleged negligence in failing to advise a mattress manufacturer to purchase business interruption loss coverage. While the plaintiff manufacturer argued that the agent should be held responsible for the uninsured loss he suffered following a fire that destroyed …

December 10, 2018 Agents and Brokers

Duty to Advise & Special Circumstances

The North Dakota Supreme Court recently affirmed the dismissal of a negligent failure to advise claim based on the failure to establish “special circumstances.” The decision is a nice win for insurance agents and brokers.

In Dahms v. Nodak Mutual Ins. Co., 2018 WL 6380779(Sup. Ct., North Dakota, Dec. 6, 2018), plaintiffs were homeowners who had afire that destroyed their garage and an “elaborate deck” they had constructed on it. While their homeowner’s policy provided coverage for the loss, the policy had separate limits …