Pelham Manor couple blames insurance broker for $200,000 Ida bill

A Pelham Manor couple whose property was inundated last year by the remnants of Hurricane Ida claim they were left awash in more than $200,000 in bills because their home insurance broker failed to obtain flood insurance.

Gregory Fabiani and Nina Glassman accused Manhattan-based Hotaling Insurance Services of negligence, fraud and breach of contract in a March 8 complaint filed in Westchester Supreme Court.

Hotaling did not respond to an email asking for its side of the story.

Fabiani and Glassman claim they told Hotaling insurance specialist Christopher DiBiaso that insurance policies on their house on Grant Avenue must include flood coverage. DiBiaso, according to the complaint, said he would be sure to include flood coverage and then informed them that he had procured floor insurance.

Then last Sept. 1 catastrophe struck.

A ferocious storm caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida struck the region. In one hour, a record-setting 3.15 inches of rain fell in Central Park. Dozens of people were killed in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, including five in Westchester County.

Fabiani and Glassman claim that damages to their house, furniture, personal items, and vehicles exceeded $200,000.

They notified Hotaling and their insurance carriers, according to the complaint. DiBiaso affirmed that he had obtained flood insurance coverage, but at some point realized he had failed to do so.

DiBiaso allegedly apologized profusely and promised to “make the situation right.”

The alleged promise, the couple claims, was false, and they were “left facing extensive personal damage … which required enormous out-of-pocket expenses.”

Fabiani and Glassman are asking the court to hold Hotaling Insurance Services, company founder Bobby Hotaling, and DiBiaso responsible for failure to procure flood insurance and liable for the damages caused by flooding on Sept. 1.

Croton-on-Hudson attorney Matthew H. Herlihy represents Fabiani and Glassman.