Posts Tagged ‘Georgia’

Is an HOA Responsible for Alligators?

October 26th, 2011 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in condo insurance, homeowners insurance

It’s no secret that there are often grey areas when it comes to homeowners associations. Often it’s not completely certain who covers contents insurance, for example. Still, it’s not often that an HOA is accused of being responsible when someone is killed by a wild animal.

Nevertheless, that’s what’s happening in Georgia.

The heirs of an 83-year-old woman, Gwyneth Williams, have sued her HOA, The Landings Association, after she was found dead in a lagoon in her suburban Savannah subdivision.

The lagoon in question was also home to an eight-foot-long alligator. Williams’ heirs believe the HOA should have removed the animal.

The Georgia Supreme Court has decided to hear the case.

Earlier, a split Georgia Court of Appeals panel ruled that the golf club and homeowners association may be held liable for damage inflicted by alligators in its lagoons.

It’s unclear whether an alligator killed Williams. Her mangled body was found in one of the lagoons in October 2007.

The club and the association have argued that Williams may have died from a heart attack before encountering the alligator.

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Georgia Insurers to Exercise Leniency

January 20th, 2011 by Iris | Comments Off | Filed in auto insurance, homeowners insurance, insurance news

Ralph Hudgens, Insurance Commissioner for the state of Georgia, has issued an order directing insurance companies in his state to “exercise lenience” in dealing with individuals and businesses who may be struggling with their premiums due to the heavy winter storms that blanketed the state earlier this month.

Between the dates of January 9th and 11th of this year, Georgia experienced the worst winter storm seen in the state in decades, as much of it was covered by as many as five inches of snow, including three inches in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The result of this weather was that several of the state’s main highways were closed to traffic, and hundreds of flights out of the Atlanta-Hartsfield airport were canceled. In addition, many schools were closed, as were state and federal offices.

On his last day in office, out-going governor Sonny Perdue called for a state of emergency, and directed the Georgia Department of Transportation and Public Safety to take steps to restore power and clear the roads.

Hudgens’ directive calls for insurance companies to exercise leniency when non-renewal or cancellation notices are delivered to policy holders whose premium payments arrive late due to disruptions in mail delivery.

He told the press, “I expect insurance companies to be understanding when so many of their policyholders’ lives have been severely disrupted. This would include premium payments and non-renewal notifications.”

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Georgia to Decide New Insurance Commissioner

August 10th, 2010 by Iris | 1 Comment | Filed in insurance facts, insurance news

Georgia voters head to the polls today to participate in a runoff election in which they must choose between two Republican candidates for state insurance commissioner.

The two candidates, Maria Sheffield and Ralph T. Hudgens, are the two survivors from last months Republican primary, which included nine candidates. In that vote, each of the two received about twenty percent of the vote.

Last week, both Sheffield and Hudgens tried to distance themselves from John Oxendine, the current insurance commissioner, whose term is clouded by questions about his ethics. He has just failed at running for governor, during which campaign he took contributions from insurance companies.

Hudgens said Oxendine has done a good job as commissioner and he was not going to “pass judgment” on Oxendine actions in the gubernatorial campaign, while Sheffield said that ethics in government is “extremely important” to her. She also tried to prove that Oxendine and Hudgens had a relationship that included a $500 donation from Oxendine to Hudgens when the latter was running for re-election to the Georgia General Assembly two years ago.

A major issue in the insurance commissioner race is federal health care reform. Sheffield, an attorney who has worked in Georgia’s Department of Insurance, says she’ll work to mitigate the affect of the new federal laws on her state. Hudgens, who currently chairs the Georgia Senate’s Insurance and Labor Committee, maintains that the insurance commissioner has no authority over the new mandates. He says the position is merely administrative.

The winner of this Republican run-off will face Democrat Mary Squires in the November election.

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