Allstate sues in St. Clair County to recover Morton Grove loss

An insurance company claims it was forced to dole out substantial amounts of money after a roofer failed to properly place a tarp on the top of house, allowing rain to destroy contents inside the home.

Allstate Insurance Company filed a lawsuit Dec. 31 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Chris Sexton.

In its complaint, Allstate alleges it had issued an insurance policy on Joyce Stetina’s home at 9220 Luna Ave. in Morton Grove. Following the alleged incident, Allstate was forced to pay Stetina $90,870.85 for costs she incurred.

The incident occurred on Sept. 19, 2010, after Sexton had been hired to replace Stetina’s roof, according to the complaint. Sexton had started to remove shingles that day and had placed a tarp over the roof before quitting work for the day, the suit states.

However, following a rainfall, Stetina discovered water leaking into her home, which caused significant damages to her personal property, the complaint says.

Allstate paid Stetina $90,870.85 for her personal property damages. It has since recovered $6,513.25 from another policy, which was also involved in the incident, according to the complaint. Still, Allstate has incurred costs of $84,357.60, the suit states.

Allstate blames Sexton for causing Stetina’s damages, saying he improperly covered the roof, failed to use appropriate materials to cover the roof, failed to properly inspect the premises, failed to take reasonable precautions against damage to the property and failed to act as a competent contractor should have.

In its complaint, Allstate seeks $84,357.60, plus pre-judgment interest, costs and other relief the court deems just.

Timothy J. Mahoney of Wheaton and Joseph G. Lyons of Wheaton will be representing it.

St. Clair County Circuit Court case number: 12-L-685.