HOUSTON - Matt Morgan, a public adjuster, may have lost his bid for a Texas House seat, but his company has prevailed in litigation alleging tortious interference.
Earlier this year, Morgan’s adjusting company, Morgan Elite Specialist Services, along with two of its employees, were named in a third party petition, court records show.
The petition stems from a lawsuit brought by William Wright against Homeowners of America Insurance Company (HOAIC).
Wright, represented by Crowell & Kucera, filed suit against HOAIC last December, alleging the insurer “wrongfully” denied his claim for water damage resulting from a pressurized irrigation line breaking on Jan. 1, 2017.
Benjamin Crowell, a partner at Crowell & Kucera, donated $6,000 to Morgan during the House District 26 race.
Court records show that on May 25, 2017, HOAIC received correspondence from Morgan Elite Specialist Services (MESS) with a contract for public adjusting for an unspecified loss.
In turn, HOAIC requested records in connection with any additional amounts claimed, which MESS allegedly declined to provide and instead looked to Crowell & Kucera.
In its third party petition, HOAIC accuses Morgan Elite Specialist Services and its employees of withholding information for the purposes of soliciting Crowell & Kucera for legal action with “intent to obtain economic benefit.”
Morgan previously told The Record all allegations of wrongdoing against his company and employees were baseless and untrue.
Morgan’s company moved to dismiss the petition, filing a rule 91a motion on March 13 stating that HOAIC’s attorneys apparently have “a long history of slinging false allegations and going beyond zealous advocacy.”
On Aug 10, a trial court granted the motion, dismissing HAIC’s claims and warding MESS attorney’s fees in the amount of $3,108.75.
Filed in Fort Bend County, case No. 19-DCV-269349