Four guests join me for this important episode: Matthew Ory, Preston Hayes, Barry Sartin Jr., and David Ardoin. All are highly-respected civil & criminal attorneys who offer litigation services to individuals and businesses.
Matt Ory & David Ardoin have worked together 10 years at AMO Trial Lawyers. Their practice areas include: hurricane claims, personal injury and medical malpractice.
Preston Hayes & Barry Sartin Jr. are partners at HMS Law Firm—they help clients primarily with business litigation, construction law, personal injury and trial presentation.
In this episode, the first hour we focus on Hurricane Ida: the recovery, price gouging, importance of keeping a paper copy of your insurance policy—which Matt believes is the most simplistic lesson learned from this storm. Why is that? Reason is your homeowners’ policy will be needed when contacting an insurance adjuster following a major storm.
My guests also give recommendations on what you should do before & after a hurricane. For example, when should you give proper notice to your insurance agent or broker that you’ve experienced a loss you believe should be covered by insurance.
We discuss the importance of documentation when building an insurance claim. And since you’ll have to prove damages you’ve incurred from the storm—it is crucial you take photographs and videos. The reason is simple. The more information you can provide to your insurance provider, the better they’re able to help.
But this episode isn’t all serious business. No, in fact, this particular show resembles a mullet—all business in the front and…a ton of fun on the back-end.
Per usual, we finish with Fun Questions. But we also try something new. We play Final Jeopardy, which are mostly Dream Team-related questions. Whether that means Johnny Cochran & Kim and Chloe’s dad, or Michael Jordan’s all-nighters in Barcelona, you’ll have to tune in to find out.
Most importantly, this episode is informative. Way I see it. Anytime you can get this much brain-power in one room, even your not-so-humble host becomes a sponge. I ask as many questions as come to me, and get out of the way.
If you were at all negatively impacted by Hurricane Ida, or think you might be affected by a natural disaster in the future—this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
I learned a lot, and hope you do too.
Other topics discussed:
- Buying a house in Grand Isle
- Tough times bring the Louisiana community together
- Gatr CEO Bryan McGehee’s humanitarian efforts
- Insurance premiums in Grand Isle
- Specific insurance codes in Louisiana
- Concept of “prima facie”
- Named-storm deductible(s)
- Last inhabited island off the coast of Louisiana
- Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP)
- Best time to give notice to your insurance company [when building a claim]
- Homeowners’ claims vs business claims
- You have a “duty to mitigate damage”
- Filing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) claims via https://www.disasterassistance.gov/
- Take pictures before the storm comes
- When do you need a forensic accountant?
- When should I contact an attorney?
- How much does it typically cost to consult with an attorney?
- Direct physical loss vs “contingent business interruption” coverage
- Importance of “characterizing your losses”
- Loss of market-defense
- What is Civil Authority?
- How insurance companies invest our premiums
- Patient Compensation Fund (PCF)
- How you can join class-action lawsuit vs. Generac
- How class-action lawsuits work
- How lawyers are paid in a class action
- Social media’s role during Hurricane Ida & its aftermath
- How underpriced social-media marketing really is
Questions asked:
- Do you guys (Matt & David) butt heads working together? Any brawls?
- [Matt]: Did you get the audio-clips [on Instagram] idea from me?
- [Matt]: Why did you buy a place in Grand Isle, Louisiana?
- What is “prima facie?”
- What is the relevance of a storm being named?
- What do you mean by Grand Isle [Louisiana] being the last inhabited island?
- What type of energy comes through Grand Isle?
- Is having a copy of your insurance policy emailed to you—[is that enough]?
- When is the best time to give notice to your insurance company (before / after a storm)?
- Should you treat your home [following a storm] like a crime scene & not touch anything?
- Once you get the insurance company on the phone, should you have all your “ducks in a row?” Or is that the time to ask them what kind of proof they need, etc.?
- What does it mean when they say you have a “duty to mitigate damage”?
- Who do you think the insurance company is likely to help first?
- Should you immediately get whatever the insurance company says to you in writing? And what constitutes “writing”—would [that] be an email?
- Who can verify if there’s mold in your house?
- At what point should you contact FEMA?
- Does contacting FEMA interfere with your potential claim with your insurance company?
- Should you still contact somebody to come & inspect your house even when there’s no visible damage [that you can see]?
- Do you need a forensic accountant for any reason?
- Regarding homeowners’ policies, at what point should you contact an attorney? And how much would that cost [to consult with an attorney]?
- Is there an “arbitration clause” in most of these policies?
- What are the two types of business insurance & how do they differ?
- What does “characterize your losses” mean & why is it important [how you characterize your losses]?
- [There was a court case] in New Orleans where the hotel operator was forced to shut down following Hurricane Katrina . . . ?
- How does my insurance company invest my premium?
- What is the PCF (Patient Compensation Fund) comprised of?
- How does a lay person decide whether to be part of a class-action lawsuit?
- How does a class-action lawsuit work?
- How does your [my attorney friends’] compensation work in a class-action lawsuit?
Fun questions:
- [For Preston]: Who do you use for your insurance?
- [For David]: Is social media a net positive or net negative for society?
- [For Matt & Preston}: What is your favorite baseball / basketball card you’ve ever owned?
- If you were a Jeopardy contestant & you got to choose the category for Final Jeopardy, what are you choosing?
- Each of you have $10,000 going into Final Jeopardy with four rounds: travel, history, sports & technology. How much are you wagering for each category?
- Final Jeopardy questions:
- Name a former president of Zimbabwe?
- Name three countries that were part of the Soviet Bloc?
- Sports questions:
- Who did Tom Brady back up in college?
- Name a running back who played at Oklahoma State more than 20 years ago?
- Where did Emmett Smith play [college football]?
- Where did Major Harris play [college football]?
- Name three [basketball players] over 7’4”?
- There was a guy who was able to get out of the bus and walk around along Las Ramblas without being detected—a “Dream Teamer”—who was that [player]?
- In what year did Coach Chuck Daly die?
- What school did David Robinson attend?
- What school did Tim Duncan attend?
- There was a guard from France who said that he was inspired to play basketball watching the Dream Team. Who was that [player]?
- Magic Johnson retired on Nov 7, 1991, [but] what was his last game?
- Where did Larry Bird go to school?
- Who did the Dream Team play in the final?
- Somebody on Croatia’s team died in an awful vehicle accident—who was that [player]?
- Where did Scottie Pippen go to school?
- Where did Charles Barkley go to school?
- Would you rather win a national championship or a gold medal?
Listen here:
Books mentioned:
- Tribe by Sebastian Junger
Connect with:
- Preston (Email): plh@hmsfirm.com
- Matt Ory:
- Email: matt@amotriallawyers.com
- Instagram: @amotriallawyers
- Facebook: AMO Trial Lawyers, LLC
