Deadlines Approaching for Helene & Milton

As we approach the one-year anniversaries of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, now is the time to act. Many insurance policies—particularly commercial and surplus lines—contain lawsuit deadlines as short as one year from the date of loss. That means some of your clients could lose the right to sue as early as September or October 2025.

Georgia law requires a 60-day pre-suit demand before filing a bad faith claim. That demand must run its full 60-day course before the lawsuit is filed—and the suit must still be filed within the one-year limitation period outlined in many policies.

To meet that timeline, we must receive any Georgia, Helene or Milton claims by July 15. This allows us to review the claim, advise the policyholder of their rights and possibly retain counsel to prepare the statutory demand, and ensure time to file, if necessary.

In Florida, we’re also watching the clock. Claims must be filed within the one-year window. For those filed on time, the 5-year lawsuit deadline still applies—but only if the claim itself was preserved.

If you’re holding any open, denied, or underpaid claims from Hurricanes Helene or Milton—especially in Georgia—please send them to us as soon as possible. This ensures we have time to:

• Review the file thoroughly
• Comply with all post-loss obligations
• Assist counsel with Issuing any necessary statutory demands
• Provide your counsel with the information they need to file suit within the applicable deadlines

Let us know if you have any questions—we’re here to support you.