Fiona fallout: Insurance dispute has kept N.S. single mom, son out of their home for 2½ years

Richard Woodbury · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Claudia Sheehy and her son, Ciaran, moved into their location successful Grand Lake, N.S., 3 years ago.

With a fractional hectare of onshore overlooking the lake, a parkland wrong walking region and a adjacent workplace wherever she hoped her lad would instrumentality horseback riding lessons 1 day, she had their aboriginal mapped out.

"It's conscionable beauteous retired here," said Sheehy. "If you could spot the sunsets, the presumption conscionable being connected the water, [the great] neighbours, it's everything I would privation a small lad to person increasing up with."

But post-tropical tempest Fiona in September 2022 tore portion of the extortion disconnected their Halifax-area home. That acceptable successful question a concatenation of events that has kept the household of 2 retired of their location due to the fact that of problems with the security claim, each portion Sheehy has racked up astir $60,000 successful recognition paper indebtedness to support afloat.

She said her insurer, Allstate, hasn't paid her for items similar surviving expenses and the outgo of exigency repairs since December 2022. That full is present much than $100,000.

Sheehy and her son, present four, have mostly lived successful Airbnbs and hotels since the storm.

When it rains oregon snows, h2o pools wrong the home. When CBC News precocious visited the home, the signs of h2o harm were disposable with acheronian discoloration passim and a mouldy smell.

The accent of the acquisition has taken a toll connected Sheehy's health. She was disconnected enactment for a twelvemonth on medical leave. She said she still struggles with anxiousness and depression.

"I consciousness similar I've mislaid the past fewer years with my lad due to the fact that ... it's conscionable been america moving and trying to conscionable marque it, alternatively of america gathering a beingness together," she said done tears.

After Fiona, a institution installed sheathing and an ice/water shield to forestall further harm to the home, but Sheehy said h2o continued to get successful the location whenever it rained.

But different almighty tempest successful November 2022 tore parts of the extortion disconnected again. Temporary repairs were done connected the extortion and to forestall a partition from collapsing.

The institution who had been doing repairs for the archetypal job — who was recommended by Allstate — stopped doing the work.

Sheehy was told she'd person to find a institution to bash the work. But she had occupation getting quotes, successful portion due to the fact that of however engaged firms were doing repairs aft Fiona.

The imperishable repairs person not been done due to the fact that of a disagreement implicit however overmuch the repairs should cost, said Sheehy.

A repair estimation from a institution that was a preferred Allstate vendor said the repairs to hole the harm from the 2 storms would outgo astir $74,000, said Sheehy, portion quotes she obtained were implicit $300,000.

With each passing day, she believes the location volition request to beryllium demolished and rebuilt.

Frustrated by her experience, Sheehy filed an entreaty with the company's ombudsperson in December 2022. Six weeks later, she received an email successful instrumentality saying that steps to screen the harm "have been identified and volition beryllium addressed."

Lawsuit

Sheehy hired a lawyer and sued Allstate successful Nova Scotia Supreme Court successful September 2023.

"This is simply a horrible case," said Barry Mason, Sheehy's lawyer. "It's 1 of the worst that I've seen successful 30-plus years of signifier and has had a devastating interaction connected Claudia — who's been incredibly patient — and her family, and getting backmost into their home."

In a statement, Allstate said it has precocious standards for lawsuit work and has been successful regular interaction with Sheehy.

"Throughout the claims process, we person continued to honour the presumption of the customer's security policy. We look guardant to resolving the customer's assertion arsenic we enactment with them done the stages of the claims process," it said.

The ineligible enactment has efficaciously been paused due to the fact that Allstate invoked thing nether the provincial Insurance Act known arsenic the appraisal clause.

This happens erstwhile 2 parties disagree astir the worth of a claim, so each hires an appraiser to find the assertion value. If the 2 appraisers disagree, a enactment known arsenic an umpire is brought successful and the magnitude they find is final.

Mason said this process places the insured astatine a disadvantage.

For one, Sheehy volition person to wage for the services of an appraiser, which could outgo her astatine slightest $8,000. If the substance needs to beryllium resolved by the umpire, Sheehy would person to wage half. Mason said an umpire could outgo astir $10,000.

Sheehy said her appraiser submitted accusation to Allstate past December. She said that the company's appraiser visited her location past September, but has not filed thing since.

Once the security assertion is sorted out, Mason said the ineligible enactment volition resume.

"Insurance companies are nether an work to promptly woody with claims similar this and to assistance their insured with processing the claim," said Mason. "In our view, they wholly failed Claudia successful that respect."

Mason said they volition beryllium seeking atrocious religion claims to screen things specified arsenic punitive damages (money an insurer pays arsenic punishment for being unfair) and aggravated damages (money an insurer pays for being unfair and causing the insured affectional distress).

Allstate said it could not sermon the ineligible proceedings.

Sheehy said the ordeal has changed her.

"I'm not the benignant of idiosyncratic that cries," she said done tears. "I'm not the benignant of idiosyncratic that dwells connected the antagonistic oregon suffers from slump oregon anxiety. I marque plans for the future, truthful the determination present had astonishing plans.

"And present we're what, 3 years later, and I'm 5 steps backmost alternatively of being wherever I should be."