"Lost my home in the Tubbs fire in Sonoma County. Your help and support has been invaluable. Thank you."...
About the Amicus Library
Welcome to the Amicus Project library. Here you will find copies of the 400+ legal briefs United Policyholders has filed as an "amicus curiae" (friend of the court) since 1991. We file amicus briefs to help courts respect and effectuate consumers' reasonable expectations of coverage and reach fair results in coverage and claim dispute lawsuits. In addition to calling courts' attention to helpful legal precedents, UP helps judges consider the impact of their decisions on people and businesses that suffer dire consequences when insurance companies put their own profit motives ahead of their customers' best interests.
The United Policyholders Amicus Project is made possible by the hundreds of dedicated policyholder attorneys who generously volunteer their time to write, review and edit our briefs. Click here to view the attorneys who make up our Amicus Project Team.
To request that UP weigh in on a case, please complete this Request Form.
UP chronicled our Amicus Project in a 2011 report titled "Twenty Years Protecting, Defending and Advancing Policyholders Rights"
Amicus Library
Year:
2017
Court:
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
Issue:
Force-placed Insurance, Regulatory Approval of Rates
State:
Florida
In general, state insurance regulators must approve an insurer's rates before their insurance products are sold to the public.
Year:
2017
Court:
Pennsylvania Supreme Court
Issue:
Bad faith
State:
Pennsylvania
Under Pennsylvania law, insurance companies are subject to attorneys fees and punitive damages for acting in bad faith towards their policyholders.
Year:
2016
Court:
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Issue:
Duty to Defend, Counterclaims
State:
Massachusetts
Under Massachusetts law, an insurance company's duty to defend is broad and encompasses the prosecution of a policyholder's counterclaims.
Year:
2017
Court:
Arizona Supreme Court
Issue:
Punitive Damages
State:
Arizona
In a brief supporting a petition for review, UP argued that when a reviewing court disregards a jury's finding that punitive damages were warranted in an insurance bad faith case, it is harmful to... Read more
Year:
2016
Court:
Nevada Supreme Court
Issue:
Duty to Defend, Consequential Damages
State:
Nevada
Under contract principles, a party that breaches a duty owed under a contract is liable for losses consequential for that breach when there is a special circumstance present.
Year:
2016
Court:
U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
Issue:
Depreciation of Labor
State:
Missouri
Depreciation of labor in an actual cash value payment is fundamentally at odds with the the purpose of insurance - to indemnify the policyholder in case of a loss.
Year:
2016
Court:
Florida Court of Appeal, Second District
Issue:
Performance Bonds
State:
Florida
A typical surety relationship is created where a contractor undertakes a construction project and obtains a bond to assure its performance.
Year:
2016
Court:
Florida Court of Appeal, Third District
Issue:
Actual Cash Value
State:
Florida
Under Florida law, an insurance company is obligated to pay actual cash value ("ACV") without requiring the policyholder to first complete the repairs necessary to collect full replacement cost.... Read more
Year:
2016
Court:
U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
Issue:
Reasonable Expectations, Construction Defect, Propery damage coverage under a CGL policy
State:
Wisconsin
A Commercial General Liability ("CGL") policy provides manufacturers, contractors, and subcontractors with insurance coverage if their work or their product is involved in a property damage claim... Read more
Year:
2016
Court:
Florida Supreme Court
Issue:
Duty to Defend
State:
Florida
The duty to defend is the most fundamental duty of a liability insurer. The duty to defend is broader than the duty to indemnify.