He said he was working with an adjuster, and IIRC got a second opinion, but are adjusters impartial?
That sounds as though he hired an independent adjuster to work on his behalf. If that's the case, it's not a question of impartiality, because that person is supposed to advocate for him.
A policy is a policy, right?
No. Every insurers has lists of exclusions, limits, etc. and they can vary from company to company. Every policy must be approved by the state, and any ambiguous language is to be interpreted in favor of the insured. Very few people actually read their policy. There are 2 scenarios that are more likely than any others: If the insurer's response was to pay half, either the policy language allows them to do so in this situation, which means your friend screwed up. If the policy language does not explicitly allow them to do so, the insurer is acting in bad faith.
