MICHAEL KESSLER, MBA
insurance claims coach
Pro se advocate and educator
Our story
What We Lived Through, and Why It Matters to Every Insurance Policyholder
MICHAEL KESSLER, MBA, PRO SE
INSURANCE BUIDLING: WASHINGTON STATE OFFICE OF THE INSURANCE COMMISSION
UNITED STATE DISTRICT COURT, TACOMA WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE
Clear View Assurance was not created as a business idea — it emerged from a catastrophic loss that exposed something deeply wrong in how insurers and regulators handle claims in Washington State.
A 132-foot, 60,000-pound maple tree crushed our home and our business.
Two major insurers — our homeowners carrier and our business carrier — spent 2½ years engaging in coordinated delay, distortion, and obstruction instead of honoring the protections we had paid for.
When we turned to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner for help, its Consumer Advocacy Program did not enforce the laws designed to protect policyholders.
The public interest was not upheld.
What followed was more than a difficult claim.
It was a systemic failure:
collusive bad-faith adjustment
procedural gamesmanship
shifting explanations
repeated inspections with no intention of indemnifying
and a regulatory system unwilling to intervene
With nowhere left to turn, we were forced into federal court — and forced to represent ourselves pro se because the Office of the Insurance Commissioner did not fulfill its duty to enforce the law.
What It Means To Standup For Yourself In Court—Pro Se
Being pro se means you stand alone before the court representing yourself as your own attorney.
You are held to the same federal rules, deadlines, procedures, and evidentiary standards as licensed attorneys — without their training, without their resources, and without institutional support.
Most people never choose that path.
We didn’t either.
We were pushed into it.
And in that process, we learned firsthand:
how insurers weaponize confusion and fatigue
how policyholders lose their way in the claims maze
how regulatory inaction harms not just one household, but the entire public
and how little recourse the average citizen has when insurers abandon their duties
Our victory in federal court did not erase the damage.
Catastrophic total loss carries a human cost.
(Yes — the stress of losing your home and business overnight can have severe health impacts, including dental deterioration. The research is clear.)
But that experience revealed something unmistakable:
no policyholder should have to endure what we endured.
Clear View Assurance exists to give others the clarity, structure, and standing that the system routinely strips away.
Our work is not personal alone — it is public-minded.
We defend the principles insurance is supposed to serve:
fairness
restoration
community stability
and the public interest
And make no mistake: had the OIC enforced those laws, both insurers would have been compelled to settle years earlier. Their inaction didn’t just delay us — it forced us into a position no policyholder should ever face: Standing alone, pro se, in federal court.
And make no mistake: had the OIC enforced those laws, both insurers would have been compelled to settle years earlier. Their inaction didn’t just delay us — it forced us into a position no policyholder should ever face: Standing alone, pro se, in federal court.
Insurance exists to protect people after disaster.
Our lived experience proves how easily that promise can fail.
And that is why we do what we do.
A long day in Federal court after five long years of claim adjustment and pro se litigation.
Victory! Settlement Check From Opposing Counsel
And make no mistake: had the OIC enforced those laws, both insurers would have been compelled to settle years earlier. Their inaction didn’t just delay us — it forced us into a position no policyholder should ever face: Standing alone, pro se, in federal court.
⭐ What that really means Being “pro se” in federal court is not romantic or empowering. It means you are: your own attorney, your own paralegal, your own strategist, your own evidence manager, your own investigator, and your own last line of defense — all while trying to rebuild your life and business from rubble. There is no coaching, no leniency, no “you’re doing your best.” The court holds you to the same rules, procedures, deadlines, and evidentiary standards as any licensed attorney. And still — armed only with life experience, discipline, and the Internet — we fought our way through a two-year federal litigation that the OIC’s enforcement should have prevented entirely. Because here is the truth no one tells policyholders: When oversight fails, the burden shifts to the victims. When regulators refuse to enforce the law, your only option is to fight for yourself. And when insurers realize no one is watching, they behave accordingly. We learned firsthand: how insurers weaponize confusion, fatigue, and delay how policyholders lose their bearings in the claims maze how regulatory refusal harms not just one family but EVERY family how easily the public interest collapses when the watchdog looks away A federal settlement did not resolve the real issue. It simply proved it. Because the question remains: Why did the OIC refuse to act when the law required them to? That question is now the subject of our Petition for Judicial Review in Superior Court, where we are demanding a public explanation for the OIC’s refusal to investigate our claim an accounting of their decision to disclaim jurisdiction they clearly hold and recognition that such failures harm not just us, but policyholders across Washington State This fight is no longer just about our loss. It is about the public’s right to a functioning insurance system — and a regulator that actually regulates.
The Pro se way
On The Road Of Indemnity
You’re not imagining it. Delay is a tactic — and it works against people who don’t know how to push back. I’ll show you how to take back control before they bury you in “process.”
This is often a sign your claim is being managed, not honored. I help you build a clean, undeniable claim file that shuts down circular requests and forces clarity.
That’s exactly where insurers want you. With structure, strategy, and standing, you become much harder to push around — and much harder to ignore.
Trust your instincts. Most policyholders aren’t wrong — they’re just outmatched. I teach you how to document properly, respond sharply, and protect yourself while pursuing the indemnity your policy promises.
If something feels wrong with your claim, talk to me. One conversation can save you months of frustration — and thousands of dollars in loss.
Indemnity isn’t just your right — it’s how communities stay stable and recover after loss. When insurers fail to honor their policies, everyone pays the price, which is why standing up for your claim matters to more than just you.
Insurance is a public trust. When insurers delay, deny, or hoard premiums instead of paying valid claims, the harm goes far beyond one family. It weakens neighborhoods, destabilizes local economies, and chips away at the middle class. Indemnity is not a private luxury — it is a public necessity. Clear View Assurance supports policyholders not only in recovering what they’re owed but in upholding the fairness and stability our communities depend on.
Every policyholder enters the labyrinth at a different point. Some stand at the threshold, stunned by disaster; others find themselves already deep inside, confronting delays, denials, and shifting demands. Indemnity is the thread—your right to be restored to pre-loss condition. Fighting for indemnity isn’t selfish; it strengthens the entire community. When insurers behave like Smaug, guarding treasure instead of honoring their purpose, the maze grows darker and the middle class erodes. Clear View Assurance teaches you how to hold the thread, see the path, and move forward with clarity and standing—because your recovery supports more than just you. It supports the public good.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Every policyholder faces different challenges after loss — from shock to insurer resistance. Indemnity is your contractual right to be restored to pre-loss condition, and fighting for it is essential. When insurers delay or hoard premiums instead of paying valid claims, families, businesses, and entire communities suffer. Clear View Assurance helps you understand your options, hold your standing, and move toward the recovery you’re owed.
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