The Thompson Trial Group Wins Verdict for Hernando County Couple's Sinkhole Damaged Florida Home

The Thompson Trial Group, PA is a firm of trial lawyers specializing in first party and third party insurance litigation. We only represent insureds against insurance companies. End Quote

The Thompson Trial Group, founded by Thomas W. Thompson, handles cases throughout Florida from its offices located in the South Tampa.

(1888PressRelease) March 14, 2012 - Tampa, FL - The Thompson Trial Group, based in South Tampa, Florida, recently won a significant verdict against property insurance company, Tower Hill Prime Insurance, for the wrongful denial of Carlos and Evelyn Zena's sinkhole claim.

On February 8, 2012, thanks to the outstanding work of the Thompson Trial Group, a Hernando County jury rejected Tower Hill's denial of the sinkhole claim, and defense, based in part on a state appointed neutral evaluator's no-sinkhole recommendation, which the insurer confidently believed would result in the Zena's recovering nothing.

The Thompson Trial Group is one of the largest plaintiff's firms in Florida representing homeowners in claims against their insurance company for sinkholes damages as well as other property damage claims. Mr. Thompson, like his client in this case, Carlos Zena, is a decorated combat veteran of the Armed Services.

Mr. Zena, originally from New York, and his wife, Evelyn, relocated to Hernando County after retiring from the New York City Police Department. Carlos and Evelyn were involved in every step of the construction of the home, and watched the home being built from the ground up. The home was completed in 2004, the couple moved in, and began to enjoy their retirement years in their new home.
In late 2008, the couple began to notice serious cracks to the walls, ceiling, and foundation of the home. They became fearful for their children and grandchildren to remain in the home. Suspecting their Spring Hill home was being affected by sinkhole activity and unable to ignore the worsening damage, the couple notified their insurer, Tower Hill. Tower Hill denied the claim, stating that sinkhole activity was not a cause of damage to their home.

Carlos and Evelyn decided to consult with attorney Tom Thompson about filing an action against Tower Hill for the wrongful claim denial and to force Tower Hill to repair the crumbling property after having their case rejected by several other plaintiff's attorneys due to the complexity of issues and costs associated with pursuing their claim. For many months, the legal team of the Thompson Trial Group conducted extensive discovery to demonstrate the weakness of Tower Hill's case and the flawed recommendation of the neutral evaluator. Tower Hill, nevertheless, persisted in its avoidance of the Zena's claim, even as the damage continued to worsen.

Attorney Thompson, along with Michael Laurato, of Austin & Laurato, PA presented the Zena's case to a Hernando County jury. And due to their combined efforts and hard work of the Thompson Trial Group, were able to get a favorable jury verdict. The case that was presented by attorneys Thompson and Laurato was so compelling that the jury needed less than 30 minutes to reach a unanimous verdict for the Zena's. The jury verdict means that Zena's home will get fully repaired, and the Zena's can enjoy their retirement knowing that their dream home will be safe from future sinkhole related damages.

The principal amount of the verdict was for $375,000.00, and Tower Hill was mandated to pay $69,639.56 in interest for failing to pay the claim on time. A motion is also pending for an award of the couple's attorney fees that Tower Hill will be required to pay.

About the Thompson Trial Group

The claims handled by our firm include sinkhole claims, property damage claims, personal injury claims, coverage denials, other types of "first party" or "third-party" disputes, and resulting claims for bad faith. The Thompson Trial Group, founded by Thomas W. Thompson, handles cases throughout Florida from its offices located in the South Tampa.

For additional information, contact:

The Thompson Trial Group, PA
4725 N. Lois Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33614
813-254-1800
http://www.ttglaw.com
TomThompson ( @ ) ttglaw dot com

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