A New York man says an insurance investigator told him to ‘adjust your expectations’ after a construction crew dropped a beam on his cars

Construction at the house next door brought more than noise and dust for New York entrepreneur and menswear content creator Oreofe Oluwadara (oreofay). In a post, he shared a six-month update after the construction team dropped a metal beam on top of his cars, saying he is finally considering a lawsuit since his compensation still hasn’t come through.

In his video, Oluwadara showed the damage to his vehicles and said he initially avoided litigation to keep legal fees from cutting into his settlement, since he was still making payments on the vehicles. He also said early interactions with the insurance company felt promising, and edited in a recording of his call with a man he identified as an insurance investigator.

In the first call, on May 18, the investigator said they were handling the claim under their policy to avoid litigation and saw no reason why he wouldn’t be covered. However, in a recording timestamped Sept. 18, what appears to be the same man told Oluwadara that he was making a lot of allegations and that they were still looking into liability and coverage. The investigator also said, “I think you need to adjust your expectations, then.”

Oluwadara says the insurer later denied his claim

Oluwadara also shared screenshots of emails from the insurance team, which he says gave no clear reason for the denial. He estimates his total damages, including storage and loss of use, have climbed to roughly $400,000. He’s now weighing his legal options, including whether to pay a $10,000 retainer or proceed on a contingency basis, which would cost him one-third of any final payout.

MSC Lawyers notes that property owners have a right to expect their homes and property won’t be damaged by neighboring construction. The firm says that while contractors often carry insurance, the homeowner who hires them is ultimately responsible for the work performed on their property.

The firm advises documenting all harm with photos and notes immediately, and says that if insurance claims fail, the damaged party may need to sue both the neighbor and the contractor. Property damage disputes can be far more frightening, as one Iowa mother found when she said a ceiling collapsed on her baby in a rental her landlady allegedly knew was at risk.

Oluwadara’s viewers also stepped forward with advice. One user suggested filing a lis pendens against the property to potentially freeze the construction loan, a move Oluwadara said he would look into. Another commenter suggested filing a bad faith complaint with the Department of Insurance, since he has records of the promises. Others recommended contacting local news outlets or his state representative to apply pressure.

Oluwadara finished his post by telling viewers that construction has already resumed after receiving clearance from the New York Department of Buildings.

Attack of the Fanboy was unable to independently verify the construction company’s or its insurer’s side of the story, as this account originates solely from Oluwadara’s Instagram and TikTok posts.