In a year filled with property insurance challenges ranging from rising rates to limited availability, some policyholders saw gains in favorable state high court decisions, easing regulatory landscapes and insurer accountability.

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Wrongful conduct happens both with individual homeowners and commercial clients, Marshall Gilinsky of Anderson Kill PC told Law360, noting that the publicity itself can push insurers to redouble their efforts to avoid similar results and remind regulators of the critical role they play in protecting consumers.

"My partners and I see insurance company behavior all along the spectrum, from good behavior to very bad behavior, and it's important that when really bad behavior happens, it's roundly condemned by the public, consumers, regulators, media, because that's a really effective way of making sure that sort of bad conduct never happens," he said.

"As for what policyholders should do to stay vigilant, Gilinsky said they shouldn't "take no for an answer and be persistent in pursuing what they're entitled to under the insurance contracts that they bought."

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