This is a court’s written decision. The judges had the claim file in front of them, and where they quote the insurer’s denial language, that quotation is part of the official record of the case.
Everything quoted below is read off that document. The reading of what it means for each side is ours, and it is marked as such.
| Case | Homeowners v. Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company |
|---|---|
| Court | Florida First District Court of Appeal |
| Citation | See the opinion |
| Decided | See the opinion |
| Who is involved | Pensacola homeowners and Universal Property & Casualty. |
| What happened | Not a denial. Universal accepted coverage and paid $8,125.20. The jury found no breach of contract and the First DCA affirmed. |
| Where | Pensacola, Florida |
| When | Hurricane Sally, September 2020. Claim reported about a month later. Payment letter February 2021. |
| Why it came out that way | There was testimony supporting the jury's verdict that Universal did not breach the contract, and the homeowners' own public adjuster did not testify and his report was never admitted. |
| The holding | Affirmed for Universal. |
Our reading of the document above, not the court's words.
For the insurance company
An itemised payment letter that shows its arithmetic is a strong document at trial. Every subtraction is disclosed, which makes the payment look like adjustment rather than avoidance.
For the homeowner
This case was lost on evidence, not on coverage. The homeowners hired a public adjuster, and then no adjuster testified for them and the report never got into evidence. The jury heard only one side explain the numbers.
- 1 Recoverable depreciation is money you can still collect. Universal's letter said so: submit invoices, signed contracts, photos or certificates of completion.
- 2 Know the difference between recoverable and non-recoverable depreciation before you accept a figure.
- 3 If you hire a public adjuster and later go to trial, make sure their work is admissible and that someone testifies to it.
Bailetti v. Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., No. 1D2024-1695 (Fla. 1st DCA Oct. 8, 2025) Read the document ↗
Case summaries are drafted from the document and have not been reviewed by counsel; verify against the current docket before relying on any of it. Not legal advice; consult an attorney about your specific claim.
Not a denial letter, the other letter: the payment letter that shorts the claim through arithmetic. A First DCA opinion reconstructs Universal’s Hurricane Sally payment letter in full: $20,535.73 replacement cost value, minus $6,145.81 held back as recoverable depreciation, minus a $6,008 wind deductible, net check $8,125.20.
Every number in that chain is a decision point. Recoverable depreciation is owed back once repairs are done and documented, and the deductible math depends on the RCV scope being complete in the first place. The opinion is a free, public walkthrough of the arithmetic most policyholders never check.
Bailetti v. Universal Prop. & Cas. Ins. Co., No. 1D2024-1695 (Fla. 1st DCA Oct. 8, 2025) · public record ↗
Quotes are verbatim from the cited public record. Case status and statute summaries drafted August 2026; verify against the current docket and statute. Not legal advice; consult an attorney about your specific claim.
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