The owner of a historic North Little Rock home is suing her insurance company for not covering damages she said the home sustained in a March 2023 tornado.
Deborah R. Phillips’ lawsuit said that her home received more than $135,000 in damages, but her insurance company, Massachusetts Bay Insurance Co., denied the claim. She is suing the insurance carrier, which is part of the Hanover Insurance Group of Worcester, Massachusetts, for breach of contract.
Phillips’ house is at 6 Edenwood Lane in North Little Rock. You might know it as the Dr. Charles H. Kennedy House, which is “a significant example of mid-century modern architecture that is designed by noted Arkansas architect Warren Segraves,” said the complaint, filed in February by attorney Tim Cullen of Little Rock.
Built in 1964, the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. The home features three hexagonal pavilions connected by low-sloped roofs between the three pavilions, the lawsuit said.
On March 31, 2023, a tornado with wind speeds from 136 to 165 miles per hour hit the area. The home didn’t sustain a direct hit, but it was within 1,000 feet of the center of the tornado, the lawsuit said.
Massachusetts Bay found that the home “sustained significant damage” from the tornado and made an initial payment for repairs of $34,348, but then denied any additional claims for damage, the suit said.
An engineer’s report, however, showed that there was additional damage to the home and roof that was caused by the tornado, the lawsuit said. Phillips is seeking at least $135,000 for the repairs plus other damages.
In a filing in U.S. District Court in Little Rock, the insurance company denied the allegations and asked that the case be dismissed. It said in the filing that Phillips “has failed to satisfy the terms, conditions, and requirements of the applicable policy” and she failed “to mitigate damages.”
The insurance company is represented by attorney Jason Campbell of Gill Ragon Owen of Little Rock.
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