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Thursday, May 16, 2024

Ocala homeowner cites tornado damage in lawsuit against State Farm

An Ocala homeowner is seeking more than $50,000 from State Farm Insurance for allegedly not covering expenses incurred from damages caused by a tornado that passed through Ocala last year.

Miami-based attorney Daniel Ferrer filed the lawsuit on behalf of Lo Quang Tuan in the fifth judicial circuit court of Marion County on Monday, September 25.

According to the complaint, on March 12, 2022, Tuan’s property at 2805 SW 34th Avenue in Ocala “sustained a covered loss in the form of wind damage resulting from a storm.”

After the incident, the complaint alleges that State Farm assigned a claim number and an insurance adjuster to “adjust the loss.”

Tuan’s attorneys say State Farm “inspected the loss but wrongfully determined that the wind damage was not covered.”

The attorneys argue that the property is covered and “not excluded” under the terms of Tuan’s insurance policy, citing a quote that addresses “risk of direct loss to property.”

“That the policy provides coverage in Section I – Perils Insured Against, which states ‘We insure against risk of direct loss to property described in Coverages A and B only if that loss is a physical loss to property,” according to the complaint.

Tuan’s attorneys say their client has “suffered and continues to suffer damages” as a result of State Farm’s alleged “breach of” contract. They are seeking over $50,000 in damages, as well as “prejudgment interest, attorney’s fees, costs, and a trial by jury,” according to the complaint.

The tornado that moved through Ocala on March 12, 2022 brought storms and heavy winds that caused structural and vehicle damages, traffic light outages, and lane closures across the city.