Homeowners Insurance
- Universal Property & Casualty Ins. Co. v. Francy St. Fleur, et al., 4D2024-1378 (Florida 4th DCA, Dec 10, 2025 – Judge May) (reversing and remanding the judgment in favor of the homeowners, concluding that the trial court erred in refusing to excuse for cause prospective juror No. 19—who admitted a predisposition favoring plaintiffs in an insurer–insured dispute—thereby forcing the insurer to exhaust its peremptory strikes; this error was not harmless given its potential impact on the verdict, and holding that the exclusion of authenticated 2019 home inspection photographs, which were central to the insurer’s affirmative defense that the damages predated the 2020 policy, constituted an abuse of discretion warranting a new trial.)
https://flcourts-media.flcourts.gov/content/download/2482310/opinion/Opinion_2024-1378.pdf
Property Insurance
- Elio Mulas, et al. v. Westchester Surplus Lines Ins. Co.,Case No.2:24-cv-534-SPC-DNF (U.S. Middle District of Florida, Dec 8, 2025 – Judge Chappell) (granting in part and denying in part Westchester’s motion to compel discovery, finding that Plaintiffs failed to produce required documentation—such as contracts, bids, estimates, invoices, and work tickets for hurricane-related repairs—by the deadline set in the specialized scheduling order, thus warranting compulsion of those disclosures, and denying other aspects of the motion, concluding that plaintiffs’ expert disclosures and depositions need not be struck outright and may instead be addressed at the upcoming Rule 16 conference when the Court sets deadlines and lifts the stay on third-party discovery.)
https://ecf.flmd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2024-00534-62-2-cv
- Pleasant Hill Christian Church Ministries, Inc. v. Ohio Security Ins. Co., 2:24-cv-417-KCD-DNF (U.S. Middle District of Florida, Dec 10, 2025 – Judge Dudek) (denying Pleasant Hill Christian Church’s motion to compel appraisal under their insurance policy, concluding that the insured failed to satisfy mandatory post-loss obligations—specifically, submitting a signed, sworn proof of loss on the insurer’s form and cooperating with requests for supporting documentation—which are prerequisites for invoking appraisal, and resting the decision on established Middle District precedent that appraisal cannot be compelled until all contractual post-loss duties are fully performed.) https://ecf.flmd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2024-00417-60-2-cv
Flood Insurance
- Michael D. Barnes, et al. v. American Bankers Ins. Co. of Florida, 2:25-cv-778-KCD-DNF (U.S. Middle District of Florida, Dec 9, 2025 – Judge Dudek) (dismissing the Barnes’ complaint with prejudice under Rule 12(b)(6), finding that the insurer’s January 6, 2023 letter constituted a “partial denial” under the National Flood Insurance Act thereby triggering a one-year statute of limitations under 42 U.S.C. § 4072 and 44 C.F.R. § 62.22(a), and rendering the plaintiffs’ August 27, 2025 suit untimely, and holding the denial letter could be considered on the motion because it was referenced in the complaint, leading to the conclusion that the claim was time‑barred and warranting dismissal.) https://ecf.flmd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2025-00778-21-2-cv
Auto Insurance
- Craig Miller v. Allstate Fire and Casualty Ins. Co., 2:25-cv-921-NPM (U.S. Middle District of Florida, Dec 10, 2025 – Judge Mizell) (granting Craig Miller’s motion and remanding the case to state court, finding that Allstate failed to meet its burden to show the requisite amount in controversy, and that despite referencing a pre‑suit demand letter and treatment records for approximately $58,543 in past medical expenses, Allstate did not provide sufficient evidence—such as an upcoming surgery or quantified future medical costs—to support the required jurisdictional threshold of over $75,000.) https://ecf.flmd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2025-00921-23-2-cv
Life Insurance
- Worldwide Aircraft Services, Inc., d/b/a Jet ICU v. Freedom Life Ins. Co., 8:25-cv-01158-WFJ-AEP (U.S. Middle District of Florida, Dec 11, 2025 – Judge Jung) (dismissing Jet ICU’s complaint without prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, holding that the No Surprises Act—(re healthcare consumer protections under 26 U.S.C. § 9816)—does not provide a private right of action to confirm Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) awards and reasoning that Congress expressly limited judicial review of IDR determinations to vacated judgments under 9 U.S.C. § 10(a) and omitted any reference to enforcement under § 9 of the Federal Arbitration Act, signaling that enforcement is through administrative penalties, not federal court actions.)
https://ecf.flmd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2025-01158-50-8-cv
The Fine Print:
The cases discussed are not a comprehensive list of all Florida decisions from this week. SLC may omit some, including PCAs and procedural rulings unrelated to coverage. SLC also excludes any cases in which I am or have been personally involved. These summaries are provided solely for informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Any opinions expressed are my own and are not intended as legal guidance for any specific situation.