“We’ve been on our own from day one and they’ve pushed back on basically every area of the policy,” Andrea said. “You have insurance so that they got your back when something like this happens.
“The way they treated us is the true disaster,” she said. “I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.”
Their insurance, Van Wert-based Central Mutual, gave them $80,000 for damages, which Andrea said came far short of the more than $200,000 estimates from contractors that all recommended rebuilding the house.
Central Mutual dropped their coverage in November with an open claim. Andrea and Nussman sued in January.
The insurer declined to comment. In its response to Andrea’s suit, it denies most of the allegations and filed a countersuit, saying that she hasn’t taken proper action to safeguard the house from further damage; that the insurance company gave her money for a pet fee at her rental home, but that money was not spent on a pet fee; and that they gave her money for renting furniture but she didn’t rent furniture.
Andrea said the money they were sent for those things was in a lump sum. She said she made a mistake and was not paying pet rent, but has offered to pay Central Mutual back for the $900 they paid out in pet rent.
Andrea said she ended up buying furniture for their rental house instead of going with the rental furniture offered.
The couple moved into their Wendover Drive home in 2010 and completely renovated it. They had more than 30 trees in their backyard, and a tree house that mirrored their home. All of that is gone. Most things inside the house were ruined.
2019 was going to be the couple’s last year with their teen daughter at home. She took first day of senior year photos in front of the debris-filled front yard of their home and homecoming pictures in front of the hotel where the family was staying.
They struggled to find a place to rent in Beavercreek, but wanted to stay in town so that their daughter could continue at school. They finally found one after a few months in a hotel.
The couple has been paying for both rent and their mortgage since May 2020.
“This has been a struggle on so many levels,” Andrea said.
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