Proposed Louisiana Bill Prohibits Photo Appraisals On First Estimate, Disputed Auto Body Repairs

A bill sponsored by the chairman of the Louisiana House Insurance Committee would restrict an auto insurer’s ability to write an estimate completely off of photos to undisputed supplements alone. House Bill 437 also would require the customer to provide signed acknowledgement that they were receiving “non-OEM aftermarket crash parts” from an insurer. State Rep. Kirk Talbot, R-River Ridge, prefiled the bill March 29, and it was formally sent to his House Insurance Committee on Monday. The bill bans insurers from writing the first estimate based off of photos or phone calls alone and forbids them from demanding consumers submit photos too.