Zalma's Insurance Fraud Letter - November 1, 2021

A Video Description of Zalma’s Insurance Fraud Letter
Volume 25 Number 21Show more

The Reason for the Examination Under Oath

Courts that construe submission to an EUO as a condition precedent to recovery generally do not require the insurer to prove that it suffered actual prejudice from an insured's unexcused refusal to submit to an examination. Lorenzo–Martinez v. Safety Ins. Co., 58 Mass. App. Ct. 359, 790 N.E.2d 692, 695–96 (2003). The EUO provides a mechanism for the insurer to corroborate the claim by obtaining information that is primarily or exclusively within the possession of the insured.

The adjuster, the independent adjuster, the Special Investigation Unit (“SIU”) investigator, the independent insurance adjuster and, in complex cases, the attorney retained to represent the insurer questions the person interviewed in a manner similar to a deposition in a legal proceeding. Because of the formality of the proceeding — it includes an oath, and the presence of a certified shorthand reporter — the task of establishing rapport with the person interviewed so that relevant information may be obtained from the insured is more difficult than in an informal interview. Unlike legal proceedings where questions are limited to those seeking a “yes” or “no” or brief answer the EUO seeks narrative responses from the person questioned.

The person taking the EUO, therefore, must be capable of transitioning from lawyer like questions in litigation to the broad, inquisitive, narrative seeking questioning. An EUO should never be conducted as if it is an adversarial activity but merely a fact seeking activity that is directed to the needs of an insurance policy and the need to prove a loss is either compensable or not.

Because the EUO is a tool for gleaning the maximum amount of information the EUO is an effective weapon against insurance fraud. This is because the person taking the EUO is knowledgeable about insurance and insurance law while the person being questioned is only aware of the claim presented and the fraud he or she may be attempting.

Often, however, the purpose of the EUO is not to stop fraud but to allow an insured the opportunity to prove his or her claim of loss in cases where evidence has been destroyed by a casualty or is otherwise unavailable.

New California Mandatory Fraud Warning

Insurers in California should note the requirement to update the mandatory anti-fraud warnings on documents based on the recent signing into law of AB1511.

This bill makes application fraud a specific crime in the state.

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© 2021 – Barry Zalma

Barry Zalma, Esq., CFE, now limits his practice to service as an insurance consultant specializing in insurance coverage, insurance claims handling, insurance bad faith and insurance fraud almost equally for insurers and policyholders.

He also serves as an arbitrator or mediator for insurance related disputes. He practiced law in California for more than 44 years as an insurance coverage and claims handling lawyer and more than 54 years in the insurance business.

Subscribe to Excellence in Claims Handling at https://barryzalma.substack.com/welcome.

He is available at http://www.zalma.com and zalma@zalma.com. Mr. Zalma is the first recipient of the first annual Claims Magazine/ACE Legend Award. Over the last 53 years Barry Zalma has dedicated his life to insurance, insurance claims and the need to defeat insurance fraud. He has created the following library of books and other materials to make it possible for insurers and their claims staff to become insurance claims professionals.

Go to training available at https://claimschool.com; articles at https://zalma.substack.com,  the podcast Zalma On Insurance at https://anchor.fm/barry-zalma;  Follow Mr. Zalma on Twitter at https://twitter.com/bzalma; Go to Barry Zalma videos at https://www.rumble.com/zalma ; Go to Barry Zalma on YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCysiZklEtxZsSF9DfC0Expg; Go to the Insurance Claims Library – https://zalma.com/blog/insurance-claims-library/  The last two issues of ZIFL are available at https://zalma.com/zalmas-insurance-fraud-letter-2/  podcast now available at https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zalma-on-insurance/id1509583809?uo=4