Insurance is meant for those unpredictable situations, whether you’ve had a tree fall on your home after a bad storm, a serious car accident or motorcycle crash resulting in injuries, a client slipping and falling on your business premises, or more–all to be covered by insurance claim payments. These types of issues can be catastrophic alone, but without insurance coverage, they could also be cause financial ruin.
Just because you have insurance doesn’t mean you couldn’t run into serious trouble though, unfortunately. It is vital to understand your insurance policy and make sure that payments are up to date. Having a misunderstanding later or finding that your claim has been denied to a previous cancellation could be difficult to swallow—but what is even worse is an insurer that is not paying out due to bad faith practices. It doesn’t take long to get it if you are being jerked around by the insurance company. No matter what type of claim you have filed, if there is not a pending investigation, red flags should start springing up in your mind.
If you were in an accident where there were injuries, for example, you should expect an adjuster to be jumping on that case quickly; in fact, sometimes it may seem you have barely pulled back into the driveway from the emergency room before they are calling! Silence may indicate an issue that should be dealt with immediately by your injury attorney, who may need to refer you to a skilled bad faith insurance firm like the Bolender Law Firm. Another common red flag is an excessive need for documentation. While there are typical forms of paperwork and records commonly requested, if you find the insurer asking for documents that seem irrelevant, they may be trying to put the pressure on you to back down and take a low-ball settlement, or nothing at all.
The insurer should also, in good faith, examine all evidence you have submitted, as well as taking time to interview any witnesses who may have been on the scene. On the flip side, if they are intimidating witnesses to discourage them from participating in giving information, this is another example of bad faith that must be addressed. Policyholders should not be forced to jump through unnecessary hoops either, with delays caused by unreasonable suspicion or allegations of fraud.
If you suspect an insurer is acting in bad faith against you, review your insurance policy to make sure you understand your coverages first. This may require legal expertise, along with skilled representation in the courtroom should you need to take legal action against the insurer. If a dispute over a claim cannot be easily resolved through a call or written communication, the Bolender Law Firm will advocate on behalf of policyholders through litigation, arbitration, or non-binding mediation. Our attorneys are experienced in representing clients in state and federal courts, at both the trial and appellate level. Call us at 310-320-0725 now or submit an easy consultation request online. We are here to help!