McALLEN - A pair of school districts in South Texas are looking to sue their insurance providers over claims for damages caused by Hurricane Hanna last July.
Documents obtained by The Record show Hidalgo ISD sent a contingent contract to the Office of the Attorney General on Oct. 12, requesting to enter into an agreement with counsel because of an insurance claim dispute over Hanna’s effects on the district’s facilities.
In Hidalgo ISD’s notice, the district states that it “needs a law firm” to determine whether the decision of its insurance carrier “is accurate and provides a proper value and coverage” for damages caused by the storm.
The law firms seeking to represent the district are O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo and Flores & Pelaez-Prada.
Records further show La Villa ISD sent a contingent contract to the OAG for approval on Oct. 15, also seeking to “engage legal services” to recover “insured but unpaid property damages and losses sustained by the District as a result of the Hurricane Hanna storm event.”
Like Hidalgo ISD, La Villa ISD signed a contract with O’Hanlon, Demerath & Castillo. The second law firm seeking to represent La Villa ISD is Raizner Slania.
The rates for the attorneys seeking to represent the districts range from $950 an hour to $1,000, records show.