State-Backed Citizens Insurance Grapples With Thousands Of Lawsuits

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers this spring approved a plan to overhaul the controversial insurance practice known as “assignment of benefits” — and put new restrictions on lawsuits against insurers.

But the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. will continue grappling with thousands of lawsuits, including many stemming from disputes about claims from Hurricane Irma in 2017, according to numbers detailed Wednesday.

As of April 30, Citizens faced 14,091 pending lawsuits, a nearly 14 percent increase from the 12,363 cases pending a year earlier. During the first four months of 2019, the insurer averaged 833 new lawsuits a month. That was down 22 percent from the same period in 2018, which was in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma.