SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

A Beaumont church is suing insurance companies for allegedly wrongfully denying claims resulting from hurricanes Rita and Ike.

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church filed suit Oct. 24 in District Court of Jefferson County 136th judicial district against Guideone Elite Insurance Co. and Church Mutual Insurance Co., citing violations of the Texas Insurance Code.

The plaintiff says it owned windstorm insurance coverage for the 2005 and 2008 hurricane seasons for their building on 23rd Street in Beaumont. The complaint states the 2005 insurance was offered by Guideone and the 2008 insurance was from Church Mutual.

After Hurricane Rita in 2005, the plaintiff began noticing interior leaks and caulked the affected areas, according to the complaint.

The plaintiff states, after Hurricane Ike in 2008, a new interior leak appeared and the plaintiff contacted Church Mutual about filing a claim. The plaintiff contends in 2012, the leak became significant and a windstorm expert inspected the building and indicated the damage was caused by Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Ike.

The complaint states the defendants wrongfully denied the claim and failed to perform under their contractual duties.

St. Andrews Presbyterian Church is seeking damages in excess of $1 million.

Case No. D194-923

 

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the District Court of Jefferson County Courthouse. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it represents only one side of the story.