Houston maritime lawyer Rick Plezia represents people injured or aggrieved in any type of maritime activity or dispute. While those words offer a broadly accurate summary of what we do, their sheer simplicity might mislead you as to both the scope of our work and the nature of our clientele.

Whether you’re a deckhand hurt on a Gulf Coast fishing vessel, or a freshwater boater involved in a collision on Lake Conroel, we can help you. Call the Houston maritime injury lawyer Rick Plezia and find out what a Houston maritime injury lawyer can do for you. We have represented clients from coast to coast when seeking a recovery from the Jones Act or other maritime law.

From my office in Houston, TX, I can recover damages under maritime law for persons injured at sea, in coastal waterways, and on inland navigable waters. The vessels involved can range from the mightiest supertanker right on down to a personal watercraft, if injury or even death should result from an accident.

Few of my clients, and even fewer lawyers, seem to be aware that when water is involved, the rules of civil litigation can change drastically. The guiding principle for our personal injury and wrongful death clients is simple – if the accident involved water, you must consider maritime jurisdiction, and whether maritime law may apply. It can offer enormous advantages to those who know how to use it. The millions I’ve recovered for my clients as a Houston Maritime Injury Lawyer reinforce our guiding principle emphatically.

While the merchant seaman hurt in an accident is usually aware that the Jones Act gives his claim for personal injuries special treatment under federal maritime law, it seldom occurs to either the personal watercraft plaintiff or his attorney that a poorly placed channel marker might result in federal maritime jurisdiction and liability for an accident on Texas and America’s rivers. I know better, and my clients benefit for it.

Home Insurance Claim Denial Attorneys

Individuals and organizations purchase insurance policies to protect themselves against financial loss. Policyholders believe that insurance companies will act in good faith and meet their obligations when the insured files a claim. Insurers that don't follow the State’s regulations and their obligations to insureds may find themselves in insurance litigation.

State statutes have the responsibility of dealing with insurers in the handling of their claims. Many states have their own Department or Commissioner of Insurance, which is the regulatory agency responsible for how insurance companies handle claims. If a policyholder, beneficiary or third-party claimant believes that their insurance company unfairly denied or refused to pay a claim, then they may file court action seeking damages.

The reasons of insurance litigation varies in many ways.  Some issues relate to an insurer's alleged "bad faith," including failure to make important information available to the policyholder or to conduct a reasonable and timely investigation into the circumstances of their claim. Other lawsuits may have a cause of action based on denial of a claim or offering the claimant significantly less money than the actual worth of the claim. Another cause of action may be the refusal to negotiate or settle claims.