The Clark         Law Office

The Michigan House of Representatives has approved the execution of financial martial law. It comes as no shock to learn that Governor Rick Snyder is the source of this travesty, and we must ask ourselves, “How far will this man go?” Can you imagine a Michigan under the confines of financial martial law? Do you know what financial martial law is?

Whole towns and school districts could be declared in a state of financial emergency by our Governor. Unfortunately this is a real and broadly applied possibility when one considers that the declining economy has diminished the financial security of towns and school districts state-wide. If one such town found itself declared in a state of financial emergency, then Snyder – or someone he appoints – will step in. It could be worse as Governor Snyder may not opt to appoint a person, but instead may appoint an organization to regulate a town or district’s finances. Imagine a government appointed representative or company with the endorsement to terminate local business contracts, seize and sell the town’s assets, and eliminate local services. Best of all this representative will have the authority to fire locally elected officials – officials rightfully voted for! It doesn’t stop there. The new powers being described by the House of Representative would permit this representative to eliminate entire towns and school districts, which means they could erase town lines and merge the economies, cultures, and histories of the annexed town and its lucky neighbor. This may sound like a bad joke, or an alarmist’s pipe dream – in fact, so many Michigan citizens haven’t even heard of it yet – but rest assured that this is a very real possibility that is only a stone’s throw from being made actual law. So let’s battle it like Americans… Unfortunately our rights to public participation were barred, and whole amendments to the law that would have illustrated safeguards for us and our towns were excluded.

If this article has frightened you, then you may take some comfort in the knowledge that you are still sane. This is frightening stuff and raises many questions – questions that can be answered by The Clark Law Offices at (517) 347-6900. We have been serving Michigan in times of financial trouble for over 30 years and boast a respectful success record. Contact us today, for free, for a consultation regarding your financial concerns.

Learn The Truth About Your Insurance Coverage: You Have Less Than You Think

Many people these days just buy full coverage insurance, assuming that it really does fully cover any expenses incurred in an accident. Insurance agents often do nothing to inform customers of the reality of their insurance policies. The fact of the matter is, if you reside in Michigan you probably have much less coverage than you are aware of.

Many customers have no idea that hidden in all the fine print of their policy, there is an exclusion that severely limits what the insurance company has to pay if it is you or a family member that is injured in the course of an accident. This exclusion can be included under a number of names including the family, household, or home exclusion. You will find it tucked in the exclusion to liability portion of your contract.

This policy exclusion states that neither you, or any of your family members, will be insured for bodily injury that is a result of an accident in your vehicle.

Now your insurance agent didn’t tell you that, did they? Did anyone ever mention you or your family wouldn’t be eligible to receive the full insurance benefits your paying for? It doesn’t matter if your paying for a $10,000 policy, or if you tag on a couple of zeros to the end of that figure, if you or someone from your household ends up with serious injuries from being a passenger in your car, they are not going to be eligible for the full coverage your buying.

No family member including spouses or children, will receive anything more than what the minimum legal responsibility is for your state.

The most your insurance company is going to pay to your family is the figure set out as the minimum by the Michigan Financial Responsibility Law. You may be wondering what that figure is, but you wont find it printed in your policy because your insurance company doesn’t want you to know how pathetically low it really is. The amount they have to pay as set forth by the law is $20,000 per incident or $40,000 per occurrence. What this really means is at most you will walk away with $20,000.

You are not alone in feeling like this is wrong. The deceptive behaviors of insurance companies hiding clauses they know will not be read in customers policies, leave many people feeling disgusted when they discover the truth. It is very likely that if you are in an accident, one of your family members is going to be a passenger in your car, but the insurance companies want to cheat you out of coverage for your loved ones.

What’s worse is the Michigan Court of Appeals has held up the legality of this deceptive practice in multiple cases. It doesn’t seem to bother them that the insurance companies are deceiving their customers out of the insurance they pay for, believing that their family will be covered in the unfortunate case of being a passenger in an accident.

There isn’t much that can be done about the courts upholding the legality of this unfair practice, but that doesn’t mean you have to be an unknowing victim of it. The best thing you can do right now is to >CALL YOUR AGENT.

Get on the phone and make them answer the tough questions like if someone else drives my car and I or a family member end up injured as a passenger,how much liability insurance are we covered for. Don’t take vague answers about having full coverage, make them give you a solid number. Chances are they are going to be resistant to giving up this information, but you shouldn’t give up until they give you a real answer to your question. Ask them directly about whether or not there is a household exclusion in your policy. You don’t have to keep paying for insurance that is not going to cover you or your family.

At the Clark Law office, we represent you and the ones you love, not manipulative insurance companies. Call us today for a free consultation @ 517-347-6900.