Auto Insurance Claims: Insurance claim denied by Praetorian/Clarendon Insurance, state insurance department, clarendon insurance

Question
Hello, I have a 1997 MB E420 that was stolen on 9/18/07 and recovered 10/17/07. On 12/7/07 they told me that my claim was denied because there forensics report tells them that there were no signs of break in, the door was not damaged, and the alarm system was not tampered with. So basically thats grounds to deny the claim and basically calling my claim a fraud and they are not responsible for anything. They told me i have 3 days to remove the car from the shop or i will start accrue storage fees. I'm planning on appealing but i don't want to spend a lot of money for a lawyer and all legalities that will be involved since I'm still making car payments. Also i went to the shop today to get an estimate on repairs but on top of that i owe him $747 for tow and storage since 10/17 am I responsible for this too. Just need to know so i can make my next move.

Answer
Hi Mark,

As the owner of the vehicle you are responsible for all charges incured. If you had nothing to do with the theft of the vehice you need to fight this vigorously. To the best of my knowledge, the insurance company can not deny your claim unless they have proof that YOU had something to do with the theft and were willing to prosecute you for insurance fraud. Short of that they have to pay the claim.

You should file a complaint with your state insurance department.  In the mean time you do need to pay the $747.00 and have your vehicle moved somewhere it will not incure storage charges. The complaint and appeal process may take several weeks to months so you need to stop the bleeding. If your appeal is successful you should demand reimbursement of the $747.00.

I hope this helps
Richard Hixenbaugh