Puna Group Files Complaint Against Lloyd’s of London

Numerous individuals, two living trusts and a real estate group from Puna are plaintiffs in a master administrative complaint filed against Lloyd’s of London on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, in the Third Circuit Court of Hawai‘i.

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The 125-page lawsuit escalates the complaints of Puna residents against Lloyd’s of London which has allegedly failed to honor home insurance coverage for homes impacted by the eruption of Kīlauea on May 3, 2018.

The lawsuit alleges that Lloyd’s “acting through an unlicensed non-resident insurance adjuster, wrongfully denied each Plaintiff’s claim of loss, referencing, in most cases a ‘Lava and/or Lava Flow’ endorsement appended to each Plaintiff’s policy that ostensibly ‘deleted’ this peril from the policy as the basis for its decision.”

The lawsuit alleges that “unlike other exclusions attached to the policies, the text of this endorsement does not include the word ‘exclusion’ or any variation of that word.”

In 2017, Lloyd’s of London collected over $40 billion in insurance premiums, of which half came from policy holders in the Unites States and Canada, according to Lloyd’s annual report.

A master administrative complaint encompasses all of the centralized plaintiffs’ claims. The lawsuit was filed by the Foster Law Offices, LLC.

Homeowners seeking further information can reach Foster Law Offices by visiting online or calling (808) 348-7800.