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Frozen pipe losses are one of those claims that look simple on the surface, right up until the policy language and the facts start fighting each other. Today we walk through the biggest freeze-claim mistake we see: treating a burst-from-freezing pipe like a routine accidental discharge loss and automatically excluding the pipe repair, even when freezing is the covered cause of loss. If you adjust homeowners insurance (HO3) or commercial property claims, this is the kind of detail that changes the whole outcome.

We also get practical about the condition that trips up coverage decisions: making a reasonable effort to maintain heat. What counts as “reasonable” when one bathroom runs colder than the rest of the house, when a basement door is left open, or when fuel deliveries and utility payments get messy? We talk through the kinds of documentation that actually help, like gas and electric bills, propane delivery history, statements that lock in a timeline, and even modern temperature monitoring and water sensors that create a real record.

Then we shift into the ugly side of winter losses: extreme freeze events where everything is iced over and you cannot scope the full damage until the building thaws. We share how we set expectations with insureds and contractors, why supplements are normal, and how this mindset applies to other winter problems like ice dam claims. We also touch tenant-caused freeze losses, subrogation, and why liability coverage can get complicated fast.

If you want sharper coverage analysis and smoother claim handling before spring storms hit, listen through, then subscribe, share with an adjuster friend, and leave a review so more people in claims can find the show.

For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management.

To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting.

Promotions:

• Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now.
• The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here.

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A slip on ice can look like a small accident until you see what it turns into on a claim file: multiple defendants, competing contracts, fading memories, and a fight over what the weather actually did at one exact address. We get into why snow removal contractors are often treated like the default villain, and how a solid liability analysis starts with the boring stuff that saves you later: reading the policy, reading the snow contract, and tracking who promised what to whom.

We talk through common contract trigger language like two-inch thresholds, salting only on request, visit limits, and why “babysit the property 24/7” is rarely realistic. From there we shift into what wins cases: plow and salt logs, truck camera footage, photos of drainage and refreeze hazards, and witness work that still matters even years after the loss. We also cover how big injuries change the stakes, including traumatic brain injury, and why documenting real constraints like salt shortages can matter when reasonableness is questioned.

If you handle New York claims, we break down the Espinal framework and the three exceptions that can create contractor duty, plus how indemnity clauses and additional insured endorsements can reshape tenders and defense. We also dig into weather records, NOAA, the challenges of getting certified data, and when it’s time to bring in a forensic meteorologist to interpret conditions at the loss location.

Subscribe for more practical adjusting talk, share this with an adjuster who handles slip and fall files, and leave a review if it helps your work. What document do you request first when a winter liability claim hits your desk?

For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management.

To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting.

Promotions:

• Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now.
• The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here.

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Ever felt your file work turn into a courtroom minefield? We sit down with a clinical neuropsychologist who coaches witnesses to break down why depositions are adversarial even when they sound friendly, and how adjusters can protect credibility without oversharing. From honey and vinegar to the Columbo “play dumb” tactic, we map the playbook plaintiffs use to trigger fight-or-flight—and the tools you need to stay calm, concise, and consistent.

We draw a sharp line between fact witnesses and corporate representatives, explaining why mixing roles creates contradictions that haunt future cases. You’ll learn when to split depositions into two sessions, how to “stay in your lane,” and why “I don’t know” or “I don’t recall” can be the most reasonable answers when used with discipline. We also cover the five-second answer rule and bullet-point responses that tell the truth without gifting extra ammunition.

Documentation matters. We explore balanced claim notes that are clear, timely, and reconstructable years later, with practical guidance on templates, quarterly spot checks, and preventing drift under workload pressure. On the psychology side, we show how systematic desensitization—rehearsed exposure to tough questioning—rewires your brain to resist defensiveness and guessing. Plus, you’ll get neurocognitive tips for sequencing information, setting expectations with policyholders, and reducing reactivity.

If you handle property, auto, liability, or workers’ comp claims and want to show up strong in the chair, this conversation is your roadmap. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review to help more adjusters find practical, courtroom-tested strategies. Got a deposition tip or horror story? Drop it in a review and keep the conversation going.

For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management.

To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting.

Promotions:

• Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now.
• The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here.

Send a text

Winter brings more than snow and high heating bills. It brings puffback claims, chimney fires, frozen pipes, temporary heating setups, and a steady stream of liability questions.

In this episode, William and Chantal break down common winter-related losses and what adjusters should be looking for from day one. They discuss oil furnace puffbacks, improper fireplace and wood stove installations, frozen pipe damage, and the risks tied to space heaters and overloaded power strips. The conversation moves beyond surface-level handling and into the investigative mindset required to properly document cause, identify potential subrogation targets, and preserve evidence before it disappears.

They also address rental property exposures, landlord duties, carbon monoxide and smoke detector issues, and the importance of asking direct, sometimes uncomfortable questions when investigating fires. The episode reinforces a key principle: determining cause is not optional. It is the foundation for coverage analysis, liability assessment, and protecting the carrier’s position.

If you handle property claims, liability claims, or both, this discussion offers practical reminders and real-world examples that sharpen investigative discipline during the most loss-prone season of the year.

The podcast returns February 26 with a focused discussion on contractors and snow removal liability.

For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management.

To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting.

Promotions:

• Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now.
• The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here.

Send a text

Storm clouds don’t just darken the sky, they raise the duty of care. We dig into how snow, ice, fog, and heavy rain change what “reasonable” looks like behind the wheel and at the claim desk. From multi-car pileups to slow-speed parking lot crashes, we break down how to evaluate negligence when the surface and sight lines won’t play fair, why “I was going the speed limit” can still be careless, and how to separate traffic citations from true liability.

We trade real-world scenarios that every adjuster recognizes: black ice that looks like a harmless wet patch, diesel spills that turn intersections into turntables, and the moment a vehicle leaves the road and plows into a storefront or home. You’ll learn when property owners should use their own policies and subrogate, how ACV versus RCV plays out in third-party claims, and why clear early communication about pollution exclusions and sublimits matters when cleanup crews start excavating. We also cover parking lot exposures, pedestrian duties, and the impact of salt shortages on the reasonableness of maintenance efforts during active storms.

To help you work cleaner, faster, and fairer files, we share a five-point winter claims checklist: certified hourly weather data, visibility and lighting details, road maintenance timing and logs, vehicle damage pattern analysis, and statement consistency with physics. The takeaways are simple and powerful, conditions matter more than posted limits, tickets inform but don’t decide, and winter raises the duty to anticipate. Subscribe for more practical tools and share this episode with a colleague who could use a sharper winter playbook. What’s your toughest cold-weather claim challenge?

For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management.

To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting.

Promotions:

• Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now.
• The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here.

Send a text

A slick floor, a hard fall, and suddenly everyone asks the same question: who pays? We open the claims toolbox and walk through slip and fall cases step by step, showing how quick evidence work, clear liability analysis, and smart communication shape the outcome. From icy sidewalks to grocery spills, we explain the differences that matter and the proof that sticks.

First, we dig into scene preservation and notice. You’ll hear why photos and security video are gold, how floor-walk logs can narrow exposure, and when a “storm in progress” protects property owners. We put the ABCD test—duty, breach, causation, damages—at the center, then layer in comparative fault, footwear choices, and the reality that invitees share responsibility to keep a lookout. A buffet ice cream case illustrates how seconds of video can flip a claim from alleged negligence to med-pay only.

Next, we map contribution and contracts. Snow removal agreements decide who shares blame, so we break down “we handle everything” promises versus narrow scopes, and why early outreach to other carriers saves everyone time. We also show how to keep your insured looped in with offers, demands, and potential excess exposure to guard against bad faith narratives.

Finally, we tackle the part that derails many settlements: Medicare, Medicaid, and ERISA. Learn why CMS reporting is mandatory, what conditional payments mean, and how to explain tentative versus final amounts without losing trust. We close with valuation strategy, practical negotiation moves, and the litigation arc—from summons to discovery, mediation, and full and final releases, including consortium and minor approvals.

If you want clearer claims, faster resolutions, and fewer surprises, this deep dive will sharpen your process and your judgment. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s your toughest slip and fall challenge right now?

For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management.

To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting.

Promotions:

• Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now.
• The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here.

Send a text

Want a practical blueprint to avoid bad faith and close cleaner files? We dig into the real-world habits that separate defensible claims work from patterns that draw regulator heat and lawsuits. Starting with a crisp definition—negligence is a mistake; bad faith is a repeated choice—we map how state rules, NAIC Model Acts, and administrative codes shape your everyday decisions on property, auto, liability, and workers’ compensation files.

We share the seven claims handling standards that keep you on track: prompt preliminary handling, documented procedures and training, tailored investigations, plain-English communication, visible momentum, rigorous analysis, and clear decisions. You’ll hear why Model Act 902 matters for property and casualty, how anti‑steering rules interact with preferred vendors and OEM parts, and where agents and underwriters can trip administrative rules that later fuel bad faith allegations. We compare states that adopt NAIC models with outliers like Oklahoma, where statute and DOI codes demand files be detailed enough to reconstruct events and reasoning—not just pasted emails, but the policy citations and logic behind each move.

Expect hard-nosed guidance on management oversight that actually shows up in the file, not retroactive notes. We talk through coverage-versus-liability conversations in simple terms, when to pick up the phone before you send a formal letter, and how to use AI cautiously for routine updates without outsourcing judgment. When a scope dispute pops up—say, painting versus hand staining—we show how to tie decisions to policy language and reasonableness, and when to bring in subject matter experts early to avoid guessing. The bottom line: you have the right to be wrong, but only if your documentation proves you acted honestly, timely, and based on sound information.

If you’re an adjuster, manager, agent, or claims leader, this is a clear, usable playbook for unfair claims settlement practices, anti‑steering compliance, documentation standards, and training culture that stands up in court. Subscribe, share with your team, and leave a review with the one habit you’ll change in your next file.

For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management.

To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting.

Promotions:

• Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now.
• The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here.

Send a text

Holiday cheer meets claim chaos, and we’re here to make sense of it. From overloaded outlets and dry Christmas trees to frozen pipes and black ice, we walk through the winter risks that drive property, auto, and liability claims—and how smart adjusting turns messy losses into clean resolutions. We share practical tools adjusters can use right now: when to call a cause-and-origin expert, how to preserve cords, sockets, and devices for subrogation, and what chain-of-custody documentation should look like to avoid spoliation fights.

The conversation digs into policy nuance around freeze losses and ensuing water damage, plus the real-world factors that determine negligence: missed fuel deliveries, drafty penetrations on windward walls, and “reasonable time” standards for clearing snow and ice. We also talk friendly fire versus hostile fire, linear burn patterns that suggest accelerants, and why early manufacturer notification can make or break a recovery. If you work with renters, you’ll get talking points for contents coverage and loss-of-use, and if you manage a team, we offer ways to bridge training gaps without overwhelming new adjusters.

We don’t skip the human side either: holiday burnout is real, and clear choices—simpler gatherings, fewer decorations, better checklists—help keep stress down and claims up to standard. Whether you’re in property, auto, liability, or workers’ comp, this seasonal playbook will sharpen your field questions, improve your evidence handling, and guide insureds and third parties toward the path that serves them best. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review to help more adjusters find the show—then tell us your toughest winter claim and what you’d do differently next time.

For more insights, you might consider a career in liability adjusting or if you're searching for reliable adjusting services, visit Auten Claims Management.

To explore more about Chantal Roberts and her contributions to the industry, visit CMR Consulting.

Promotions:

• Once Upon a Claim: Explore the magical world of claims adjusting through fairy tales. Get your copy now.
• The Art of Adjusting®: Master the art of claims adjusting with practical insights and expert advice. Purchase here.