LI Woman Says Insurance Company Won't Pay Fire Claim Because She Owns A Pit Bull
EAST ROCKAWAY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island woman whose house was severely damaged in a fire alleges her insurance company refuses to pay her claim because she owns a pit bull.
After Mary Grace O'Brien's home in East Rockaway was damaged in Superstorm Sandy, her insurance company dropped her for living in a flood zone, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported.
O'Brien signed up with a new company, Adirondack Insurance, when tragedy struck a second time. Her dryer caught fire in September, making her home unlivable once again.
LI Woman Files Lawsuit Over Denied Insurance Claim
"I can't live in my house," O'Brien said. "The Town of Hempstead put up a big sign on it saying it was unfit for human occupancy...It's got extensive damage"
O'Brien said when she tried to collect the insurance money she was denied for owning a pit bull.
"It really is a nightmare," O'Brien said. "I would have never have imagined an insurance company would not pay because of a dog."
She is suing Adirondack Insurance and her insurance broker, Sidakas Insurance Agency, because she believes Sidakas forged her signature on documents that said she did not own any pets.
"I never saw the document, I most absolutely never signed it,"O'Brien said. "I trusted Sidakas Agency. I'm not sure who did that at the agency or why they would have done it."
Adirondack had no comment and a call to Sidakas was not returned.
O'Brien and her three children are living with friends as she continues to pay the mortgage on her home.
