A Vermont church insurer is suing a Katy church over insurance coverage.
The Church Insurance Company of Vermont (CICV) filed a lawsuit July 31 in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas against Church of the Holy Apostles in Katy, seeking a claim for declaratory judgment.
According to the complaint, in late 2008, CICV paid the church more than $31,000 to completely replace its roof that was damaged by Hurricane Ike.
On July 19, 2014, the suit says, the church filed a new claim with CICV to repair hail and/or wind damage to the church roof allegedly caused that day. However, when CICV investigated the claim, the lawsuit states, it discovered the roof had only been patched following Hurricane Ike, not completely replaced, and that weather records for July 19, 2014, indicated no significant weather event that day.
CICV denied the new claim, alleging the new damage was really preexisting damage caused by the hurricane, for which CICV already had compensated the church.
Church Insurance seeks a declaratory judgment establishing there is no coverage under the policy because there is no loss that was not already compensated for, plus court costs. It is represented by attorneys Joseph A. Ziemianski and Nicole S. Bakare of Cozen O'Connor in Houston.
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas case number 4:15-cv-02211.