Category: Insurance lawyers

Insurance Topics: When Earthquake Insurance Is Excluded

Posted by jbolender on July 9, 2019 with 0 Comment

Purchasing insurance is all about protecting ourselves, and earthquake insurance is a prime example for residents of states like California. In many cases, it may also be about protecting property like your vehicle, and those of family members living with you. You may need to protect your business, as well as purchase insurance to ward off financial ruin due to a negligence claim. You may even need professional liability insurance to protect you in the case of a lawsuit against you in your career.

Protection of the home is particularly important, and unique, because it not only protects what may be the largest financial investment you’ll ever make, but it protects a valuable shelter for you and your family. As the old saying goes ‘home is where the heart is,’ and to have something happen to that area can be financially devastating, but also emotionally devastating. Because of that, when you set out to buy a homeowners insurance policy, it is critical to work with an agent who is experienced, and can direct you not only to understanding what your needs are but helping you to purchase multiple lines if needed, or added coverage.

In California especially, earthquake insurance is a big topic upon purchasing homeowner’s insurance. Because of the incredible, catastrophic damage that can be done, and the possibility for real financial strife if an insurer were to have to pay out for many policyholders at an astronomical cost, your insurer may only offer earthquake coverage as an addition to the regular policy. Make it a priority to ask your agent about whether your policy will include it, or if you need to make an extra purchase. While this may seem like common sense, only a small percentage of Californians have earthquake insurance for their homes or businesses and many do believe it is included—only to find out later that they are left high and dry after a disaster.

If you do have a claim, and you did purchase extra coverage, the insurance should be expedient about sending out an adjuster to begin an investigation, collecting the facts from you, and getting a settlement back to you expediently—especially if you have lost your home or it has been rendered temporarily uninhabitable.

If you suspect your insurance company may be denying your claim in bad faith, contact the attorneys at the Bolender Law Firm. If a dispute over a claim cannot be easily resolved through a call or written communication, our attorneys 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!

The Insurance Company Has Plenty of Money—Why Don’t They Pay My Claim?

Posted by jbolender on July 2, 2019 with 0 Comment

Dealing with the insurance company can be frustrating. Even just handling the basic mechanics of the process can be a trial, from trying to find an insurance agent you trust, to dealing with an online service or chat format. After making your way through that first step, you must also attempt to understand your policy. No matter how many times you have bought insurance, and no matter what your educational background is, you may still find car insurance or homeowners insurance policies to read like a foreign language (one usually known as legalese).

After you have waded through buying an insurance policy and attempting to understand it comes the hard part: paying for it over the long haul. Protecting your property, life, and health certainly is not an inexpensive endeavor—and the insurance companies are more than happy to scoop up your money and put it in their coffers to earn interest. They are not empathetic or sympathetic friends, and they do not feel your pain when you may struggle to pay for a policy, or when you are suffering due to injuries from a car accident or the loss of extremely valuable property. There are many complications to insurance, and it affects us continually throughout life.

Most insurance companies are not hurting financially, so why don’t they pay a valid claim expediently? The answer is simple. They like to pay as little as possible, and for each claim, they want to spend as little time on it also. Insurance adjusters often get bonuses and extra commissions based on how many cases they can turn over with the least amount of settlement money paid out. In more extreme cases, exemplifying bad faith, insurance companies may act like you are the one at fault. Although a bad storm may have damaged your home, or you may have been injured in a car accident due to the negligence of others, the insurance company may spend an inordinate amount of time turning the tables on you. They may even accuse you of fraud.

Insurance companies who do not pay on claims could just be downright hard to deal with, or they may be engaging in bad faith. The bottom line is either they are not paying your claim because they have a valid reason which should be clearly outlined, they are slow to pay because they investigate every claim meticulously (to see if there is any way to get out of paying a settlement), or they may be blatantly acting in bad faith. If a substantial amount of time has passed, it is time to consult with an insurance attorney from an office like the Bolender Law Firm.

Other signs that you are dealing with bad faith include intimidation tactics such as offering you lowball settlements and then intimating that you would not be offered anything else and you better take what you can get, asking for excessive documentation in an effort to run you off, intimidating witnesses by grilling them or acting aggressively over the phone or in interviews, along with unreasonable delays, outright denials, or wild accusations of fraud.

If you need help reviewing your insurance policy, or if you suspect your insurance company may be denying your claim in bad faith, contact the attorneys at the Bolender Law Firm. If a dispute over a claim cannot be easily resolved through a call or written communication, our attorneys 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!

Insurance Companies Acting in Bad Faith Could Face Major Fines

Posted by jbolender on June 13, 2019 with 0 Comment

It seems like insurance should be a simple business, right? The basic process is as follows: you hire an insurance agent to help you find the types of coverage you need, you buy a policy, you pay your premiums, and you go about your business with the policy hiding in a drawer or file cabinet somewhere (and if you are lucky, you will never have to look at it again). Meanwhile, the insurance company is collecting billions of dollars each year from policyholders, and you may never have filed a claim once in decades; however, if you have, you may shocked, and even panicking to discover that the insurer does not seem to be responding correctly.

As soon as you see red flags flying, warning you of bad faith practices, contact an insurance lawyer from a skilled firm like the Bolender Law Firm. Signs of bad faith may include a lack of investigation at all, or they may have called and spoken with you once, heard some of the facts surrounding the case, and just never called back. If you have filed an insurance claim and you have not been hearing anything back from an insurance adjuster, it is time to get worried and start making calls regarding the problem. If you’ve been denied with no good reason, you may have a case, and if the insurer has been trying to intimidate you or witnesses, that is another red flag.

The list of bad faith practice symptoms is quite long, but if your instincts are telling you there is a problem, you may very well be correct—and especially if communications from the insurer are few and far between.

With help of a skilled bad faith insurance attorney, you may need to take your case to court. This is a much more common occurrence than you think, and insurance companies can get in big trouble with the courts for bad faith; in fact, they could have to pay out many thousands of dollars in compensatory damages as well as punitive damages. You are owed such compensation if you were forced to go through the stress of waiting on a claim that was clearly not handled properly.

Always Have a Copy of Your Original Insurance Policy

Posted by jbolender on June 11, 2019 with 0 Comment

Most of us have one or more insurance policies tucked away somewhere, whether for our car(s), home, business or more. While this is one of the most important contracts you will ever sign, and an extremely important document, as a rule, insurance policies are something we rarely look at again—until there is an unfortunate event that causes us to file a claim. At that point, you may be scrambling to figure out which drawer or file cabinet you stashed the policy in years ago.

The hope is if you have a car accident and experience property damage and/or physical injuries, that the negligent party’s insurer would be contacting you as quickly as possible to make sure you were compensated. Sadly, this is often not the case if you have a substantial case that may require a lot of time and effort and enormous payout. If you’ve had a homeowner’s claim, you may be living in a very uncomfortable situation after a fire or a flood, with many of your belongings demolished. Your world may be turned upside down, and you will be on the hunt for that insurance policy without a doubt!

This is precisely why you should always have a copy of your insurance policy on hand. Although these days, it may be resting in your email, but remember that it is always best to have a copy printed out. You must be able to remind yourself of what is covered, as well as understanding what the insurer is going to expect you after you file a claim. If your home has been vandalized, most likely you are responsible for covering it up and attempting to prevent any further damage to the home, with the same happening after a flood or some other event that has left the home still standing, even if just partially.

Filing an Insurance Claim: Communications with the Insurer Should Be Easy

Posted by jbolender on May 28, 2019 with 0 Comment

When it comes to the actual process of purchasing an insurance policy the steps are clear. First, and especially if you’re purchasing multiple lines of insurance, you need to find a good agent. Often our best suggestions come from friends and family. You may be having dinner with your parents or another relative and find out that they have worked with the same insurance agent for many years. In other cases, you may read about an agent online, and upon meeting them feel extremely comfortable and ready to purchase. The requirement should be that the insurance agent is educated about the types of insurance you need, that they are able to research and suggest all the facets required to protect your finances and property.

Once you have purchased your insurance, your job is to fulfill the details of the policy, agreeing that you will pay on time, mainly; however, there are of course other stipulations such as not making any changes to the existing property without letting them know, and following the proper steps if you do have an accident or damage to your home. Chances are, you have kept up your end of the bargain and paid the bill. And when you go to file a claim, everything should run just as smoothly for you as it did for them over the years while you were paying untold thousands in premiums.

Payments for premiums are not always easy to come by, and if you have suddenly had a problem or reason to file a claim, you probably feel quite serious about reaping the rewards now of owning that policy.

But what if the insurance company does not respond? What if they are difficult to deal with? What if they are disorganized, or what if they are completely nonresponsive? If you are worried about any of those things, you may be dealing with an insurance company acting in bad faith. This can be a very disturbing realization, and you will need the help of a skilled bad faith law insurance firm like the Bolender Law Firm.

Other red flags surrounding bad faith practices may include unreasonable delays or an outright denial that does not seem right. They may have somehow tried to convince you that the details of your policy are different from what you thought, meaning that you will be denied, or they may request excessive amounts of documentation, Hoping that you will bow out of the claim all together and just forget about it. If you are having difficulty with your insurance company, the first step is to ask what the problem is. It may be a clear-cut issue, or they may have had a snag in their investigation of your claim. But if you see any signs of bad faith, do not try to go it alone and continue communicating with the insurer or trying to set things right. This is the job for an experienced lawyer who will be able to protect your best interests.

Insurance Adjusters Asking About Your Medical Condition: Why You Should Not Answer

Posted by jbolender on May 23, 2019 with 0 Comment

If an insurance adjuster has just called, you may be somewhat startled by the speed in which they not only procured your phone number, but also how quickly they opened communications and began pelting you with questions. This is not always the most thoughtful way to treat someone who may have just been in a major or even catastrophic car accident, but insurance, as we all know, is about business. Insurance adjusters are heavily invested in protecting their company, and often their own finances too as they may be offered extra bonuses and lucrative compensation for saving their company time and money. This means that they have probably become very skilled at convincing policyholders to take the least amount of money as possible in a settlement, and quickly.

So, don’t be surprised if you get a call even while you may still be in the hospital. It may seem like an intrusion, and the truth is that you do not have to speak to them, then, or ever. This is a job for your car accident attorney, and if you do not have one yet, consult with an experienced injury firm as soon as possible. This could be vital to your case, and your settlement.

Insurance adjusters are very crafty at getting as much information from you as possible and then using whatever they can against you too. And as we often mention, the insurance companies are not your friend, and they did not become billionaires through attempting to win a popularity contest. So, if the insurance adjuster is on the other line and you are flustered or not sure what to do, you may give them some basic facts like your name, policy number, and the date and most elementary facts about your accident.

Insurance adjusters will ask for police records and medical records, and they may ask to tape record any or all conversations. Do not give out any information about your medical condition. Although you may be quite certain you know what is wrong; for example, maybe you have a broken leg. You may be tempted to pass on this seemingly basic fact when you speak to the insurance adjuster but as is common in car accidents, there may be some time before other medical issues emerge.

You could have much more complex health issues or internal damage than you realize, which is why you should not tell the adjuster anything about your health or the current injuries. In many cases they will try to insinuate that an older injury is what is causing you pain or discomfort, when you are obviously suffering due to a car accident.

Why Isn’t the Insurance Company Interested in Investigating My Homeowners Claim?

Posted by Jeffrey Bolender on May 9, 2019 with 0 Comment

While all forms of risk protection are important and worth investigating, homeowner’s is one of the most critical types of insurance—and especially if you have a family to house. Home may be where the heart is, but often it is strongly tied to all your worldly possessions and the place where you made so many memories, from first birthday parties to many years of holidays and family milestones. Experiencing major property damage may in some cases feel almost as traumatic as having a physical accident, and you may be almost as uncomfortable if you are facing living in a home that is close to uninhabitable. You may have been displaced also, if the damage was catastrophic—with your life being extremely disrupted.

Most types of accidents and damage claims have a sense of urgency to them, so if the insurer is simply not responding at all, they are sending a clear message that they do not want to deal with you. There is the outside chance that their customer service department is completely disorganized and inept and unable to get to you, but you should be able to figure that out quickly. Continued red flags mean it is time to consult with a bad faith insurance attorney from a firm like the Bolender Law Firm.

If you have ever had a claim that was handled properly before, the adjuster probably contacted you almost right away. It was imperative for you to have all your information ready, an attorney for them to communicate with if necessary, all leading to a streamlined claims payment. So, when you hear crickets it is disturbing. And you may be growing increasingly worried about your financial future if your house has partially burned or been flooded or exposed to other serious issues. Lack of investigation is often a sign of bad faith practices, along with long delays that seem to occur with no reasonable excuse or are followed by an outright denial. Other issues often include intimidation tactics such as requests for excessive documentation, or a pressing emphasis on how important it is to take a lowball offer.

Why the Insurance Company Expects You to Take that Lowball Settlement

Posted by Jeffrey Bolender on May 2, 2019 with 0 Comment

Insurance companies know their stuff. They don’t churn out billions in profits through sheer luck each year, and they certainly don’t do so by being your friend. Adjusters often receive bonuses for keeping payout and time spent on cases to a minimum, and you can count on one thing: they are all usually very good at their jobs. This is precisely why if you are in a car accident, for example, you do not want to take on fighting the other insurance company by yourself.

Adjusters, unfortunately, may be quick to take advantage of you if you are not prepared. They may begin asking a lot of questions—and because most of us are naturally polite, it is often hard to shut them down—but that is exactly what needs to happen. Your injury attorney should be handling all communications with adjusters. This could be vital to your case, especially as they may begin asking if they can tape record your conversations, have access to medical records, and more. What you say to them, however, is what can make you most vulnerable, and many individuals walk right into such a trap after being assured everything is confidential.

With expert legal assistance, you can avoid many of the pitfalls possible if you have been injured in an accident due to the negligence of others, and have a case. Without any help, adjusters may try different tricks on you such as the delay. This could mean you are left hanging for unreasonable amounts of time as they try to find a reason to deny your claim, whether accusing you of fraud or other shocking reasons to get out of paying. One of the most common techniques on the part of the insurer is the lowball offer. With an attorney on your side, it is likely this would not happen to begin with—but if you are on your own, the adjusters may jump at the chance to give you the lowest offer possible and then also convince you that you should take it because there will not be another one.

Other intimidation tactics may ensue as well, to include asking you for so much accompanying documentation that you will be quickly exhausted and run the other direction, giving up on your case altogether. They may also try to intimidate witnesses. As soon as you begin experiencing any red flags that could indicate bad faith, your case is in peril. An experienced attorney will be able to help you fight the insurance company, along with helping you to understand more about bad faith practices.

Are You Being Accused of Fraud? Why This is So Serious

Posted by Jeffrey Bolender on April 30, 2019 with 0 Comment

Purchasing insurance can sometimes be a pleasant experience, in the beginning; in fact, as you get a referral for an insurance agent and begin looking around and getting quotes, you may be impressed with their level of knowledge and guidance. Once you settle on a policy, a check is written, documents are emailed or sent by regular mail and they get put away for safekeeping. And there they stay, until there is a claim. In most cases if there is a claim, the insurer opens an investigation, and hopefully it is open and shut, with your payment being collected easily so you can go about your normal business and get back to your normal life.

There are other instances, however, that spell out trouble from the beginning. Let’s use a homeowner’s insurance claim as an example. This is a good one, because home fires are often an extreme point of contention. It is all too easy for the insurer to bring up the word arson and suddenly drum up a fraud investigation team that may scare the dickens out you. Obviously, no one feels comfortable being accused of fraud, and especially if there is the potential of going to jail too. This is an all-too-common tactic however, and insurers use it to their advantage to intimidate, delay, and deny.

Your first tipoff may be when there is no investigation of your claim. There may be no phone ringing at all from the adjuster, insurance representatives trying to get more details, or anything. This is a common red flag of bad faith practices, along with unreasonable delays—and often that is exactly where the fraudulent fraud investigation comes in! Such an experience can be extremely challenging too if your home has serious fire damage and you have had to move out. The disruption to your life can be epic, and a fraud investigation may add more stress than you feel like you can manage.

This is not the time to go it alone. You need an attorney to defend you against the fraud accusations, as well as help you get your claim paid. An insurance company acting in bad faith—and especially putting you through an extended period out of your home—may not only be severely fined in court, but they may also owe you compensatory and punitive damages.

If you suspect negligence on the part of your insurance agent or insurance company, contact the Bolender Law Firm. We 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!

Bad Faith: When the Insurance Company Does Not Fulfill Duties to Policyholders

Posted by Jeffrey Bolender on April 22, 2019 with 0 Comment

Most of us would prefer not to have to send any amount of cash to an insurance company—whether it is monthly, quarterly, or annually—but just as dealing with issues like household debt and jobs and a hectic lifestyle are often considered the American way, so is buying insurance, and one can only hope not to run into an issue with bad faith. Without it, you could be left miserable, homeless, and penniless in the event of a catastrophe. The problem is, however, if you have had a serious accident or suffered property damage to your home, you may already be feeling injured and miserable or even homeless and worried about your residence—and worried about finances.

This is where the insurance company is supposed to step in and save the day. Even though you are the one who purchased the policy and have been keeping up with your end of the bargain in paying premiums for countless months, when something does go wrong you are suddenly at the mercy of the insurer. You should not have to wait an excessive amount of time to hear back regarding your claim—especially if you are hurt after an accident—and you should not be held off indefinitely if you have had to move out of your home after a flood or fire. If red flags are waving all over the place, it is time to called a skilled insurance lawyer from a firm like the Bolender Law Firm.

Insurers may be used to throwing their weight around in attempts to avoid paying out claims, and to keep their money mounting in the bank, but they could be in substantial legal trouble over bad faith practices, forced to pay compensatory damages, and fines too. Delays are a common issue in bad faith, but you may also be experiencing other frustrating issues like a complete lack of response and complete lack of investigation of your case. Adjusters may try to intimidate you, and even witnesses, and they may also offer you a low-ball settlement that is so low you can’t believe your ears. They continue to get away with this behavior because often, policyholders are stressed out and intimidated, and may be worried that the one settlement offer they are receiving is the only one they will get. This may be exactly what the adjuster wants you to think too. The key is to reach out for expert legal help so that you receive fair compensation for what you are owed.