South Louisiana takes hurricanes harder than almost anywhere in America. Houma, Thibodaux, Houma-Thibodaux MSA, and the Bayou Region have been hit by Andrew, Lili, Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ida, Francine, and a parade of named storms in between. When your insurance carrier lowballs your hurricane claim, denies coverage, or drags out the adjustment process, our Houma hurricane claim lawyers fight back under Louisiana’s bad-faith and prompt-payment statutes.
At Kopfler & Hermann, our Houma hurricane claim lawyers have been representing injured Louisiana clients and their families for over 45 years from our office at 306 Grinage Street in downtown Houma. We know how the trucking companies, insurance carriers, oilfield operators, and chemical plants build their defenses — and we know how to dismantle them.
Call (985) 851-3311 for a free consultation with an experienced Houma hurricane claim lawyer today, or use our online contact form.
Louisiana has some of the strongest insurance bad-faith laws in the country. R.S. 22:1973 and R.S. 22:1892 provide remedies including:
Actual damages plus penalties of 50% of the amount due, plus attorney’s fees, when the insurer fails to pay within 30 days (or 60 days for catastrophic claims), acts arbitrarily or capriciously, or fails to fairly adjust the claim.
Many Houma hurricane claims qualify for these enhanced damages when carriers delay, lowball, or deny without a reasonable basis.
Insurance carriers routinely fight hurricane claims on:
Wind vs flood — carriers blame flood (which is excluded from most policies) for damage that was actually wind-caused.
Hurricane deductibles — high percentage-based deductibles applied unfairly.
Replacement cost vs actual cash value — carriers paying depreciated values when policies require replacement cost.
Code upgrade coverage — required upgrades to current building codes denied.
Additional living expenses — temporary housing and meal expenses denied or delayed.
Business interruption — commercial policies denied during recovery.
We start with full document review — your policy (all endorsements), the adjuster’s reports, photographs, repair estimates, and engineering reports. We retain independent licensed adjusters and engineers when needed to counter the carrier’s experts.
We then issue a formal demand letter triggering Louisiana’s prompt-payment statute. If the carrier still refuses to pay, we file suit under both contract theory and bad-faith claims for enhanced damages.
Our Houma hurricane claim attorneys have represented south Louisiana property owners after Katrina, Rita, Gustav, Ike, Isaac, Laura, Delta, Zeta, Ida, and Francine. Each storm brings its own pattern of claim disputes — and our experience across multiple hurricanes lets us anticipate how carriers will try to underpay your claim.
Our Houma hurricane claim lawyers see the same patterns in case after case:
Our Houma office serves injured clients throughout south Louisiana:
Louisiana extended the prescriptive period for Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta, Ida, and other recent storms — but the deadlines are still strict. Don’t wait — call a Houma hurricane claim lawyer immediately.
Yes. Carriers routinely underpay claims and then argue ‘we paid.’ Our Houma hurricane claim attorneys regularly recover additional millions on claims the carrier already ‘paid.’
Not necessarily — but if your initial claim is denied or underpaid, talk to a lawyer before agreeing to a settlement or signing a release.
We handle hurricane claim cases on a contingency fee — no fee unless we recover for you. Initial consultations are free.
Sometimes. Carrier adjusters increasingly use drone and satellite imagery to minimize damage estimates. Our independent adjusters and engineers can counter their conclusions.
The longer you wait, the more evidence disappears and the harder the insurance carriers fight. Call our Houma office at (985) 851-3311 for a free consultation with an experienced Houma hurricane claim lawyer, or visit us at 306 Grinage Street in downtown Houma.
