Fraud and Arson/SIU Claims

Claims involving fraud and arson represent some of the most challenging claims insurers must face. By their very nature, these cases are volatile, complex and high-stakes. Our firm brings a level of expertise to these cases which few law firms can offer. Our principal, Guy E. “Sandy” Burnette, Jr., has over 30 years experience in the handling of these cases locally, nationally and internationally. He has been involved in drafting State and Federal legislation on these issues for over 25 years. He has created and implemented arson investigation training programs for local, state and federal agencies. He is a certified instructor at the Florida Fire College and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center/ATF National Academy. He is the author of over 100 articles and papers on fraud-related issues and received the Silver Hammer Award from the Office of Vice-President of the United States for his work in developing the first interactive virtual reality arson investigation training tool which has now been distributed in over 70 countries worldwide. Apart from the complexity of these cases, insurers face statutory compliance issues under the Fraud Immunity Reporting Act, Arson Immunity Reporting Act and SIU Compliance Act. Our firm was involved in writing each of those laws. For more than 25 years, our firm has been involved with handling complex fraud and arson cases around the world. Some of the most important cases of insurance fraud ever handled involved members of our firm, including the New York Insurance Fraud Ring ultimately identifying over $750,000,000 in fraudulent claims and a commercial arson case  with a $200,000,000 contractual damages exposure, both of which resulted in the indictment and conviction of the responsible parties. Our unparalleled level of expertise in handling these cases will ensure a thorough and proper investigation has been conducted to identify and defend against fraudulent claims.