State Farm Adjuster's Opinion Does Not Override Policy Exclusion in Sewage Backup.

The article discusses a federal appeals court ruling in the case of Cooper vs. State Farm Fire & Casualty, which determined that homeowners cannot rely on statements from insurance adjusters to establish coverage for sewage backup under their homeowners' policy. The Coopers, who experienced a sewage backup in their home in Canton, Mississippi, were denied coverage based on their policy's exclusions, despite initial assurances from an adjuster. The 5th Circuit Court upheld the dismissal of the Coopers' lawsuit, emphasizing that the adjuster's comments did not modify the policy terms and that the evidence suggested the sewage originated from outside their plumbing system. A dissenting judge criticized State Farm for potentially misleading the Coopers regarding their coverage. [Extracted from the article]