Flooding at Bald Knob Road in Johnsburg near Pistakee Bay. According to the Chicago Tribune, Johnsburg was not sued.
Articles started popping up about various towns being sued by Farmers Insurance for allowing homes to be flooded.
Pumps on Nash Road in Crystal Lake.
The theory is that the cities and villages should have built bigger storm sewers.
The water level from damming Dog Lake resulted in two-three feet of water in the basement of this home on North Shore Drive in Crystal Lake.
The Chicago Tribune did a comprehensive look at the filings and published the go-to article on Wednesday.
These homes on South Harrison Street in Algonquin presumably did not need major repairs.
Listed as sued in McHenry County are
- Algonquin
- Cary
- Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake produced this map of flood damage to private properties.
- Fox Lake
- Fox River Grove
- Harvard
- Huntley
- Island Lake
- Lake in the Hills
- Marengo
- McHenry
- Woodstock
How does Farmers avoid their case being dismissed via the Governmental tort immunity clause?
Insurance companies insure common folk from the negligence of others all day long.
The burden of proof required against a municipality is “wilful and wanton” misconduct.
Government can’t be held rosponsible for “Acts of God”.
Now the municipal insurers get to defend the municipalites from the claims of Farmers, and “away we go”!
We are told all the time that homeowners insurance doesn’t cover flood insurance.
How does Farmers have any loss to sue over?
Working in the insurance industry, I understand what is happening; blame someone else, which is the Democrat mantra (I’m kidding, I’m kidding).
I suppose you could make the allegation against the municipalities for allowing the growth that has occurred.
And communities are to receive impact fees to accommodate additional infrastructure.
If the impact fees were appropriate, they have no case and Farmers should go back to insurance school and practice screwing over the policyholders again.
But I wonder if you could show liability, even willful and wanton as Jim B points out, if you could show the impact fees were diverted to other interests or items.
Just thinking out loud.
I don’t want Farmer’s case to win as it will go back to the taxpayers again.
There are risks wherever you live, but if you live in an area where over and over the same houses are being damaged, insurance companies should not be made to sell there and the owners need to take responsibility; taxpayers and companies.
Too many houses built in this area will only lead to a greater water shortage also and it is happening already with water rates rising.
It is still the fault of local boards and municipalities that grant these houses to be built without regard to the existing terrain and overall value.
Gee I wonder who Jim B is, can you guess?