When you buy an insurance policy, it is more than implied that the insurers will act in good faith if you must file a claim – it is expected! Consumers today spend a substantial amount of their income on protecting their property and livelihoods, often purchasing multiple lines of insurance. You may have a simple portfolio and only require car insurance for one or two cars, or you could be a business owner ensuring a fleet of vehicles, several different facilities for your business, along with multiple different types of liability insurance. No matter how you slice it, for most of us, insurance is not cheap, and we would all rather be putting that money somewhere else.

If an unexpected event such as a car accident or damage to your home, perhaps after a fire or a storm, has occurred, your first thought is probably to be glad you have insurance, and begin wondering what will be involved in filing a claim. Once you have done so, you probably expect to hear from the insurance company quickly, and for your claim to be processed efficiently, with a settlement received so that you can recoup your loss.

An insurance company acting in good faith will contact you quickly, and open an investigation so they can determine what type of settlement is in order. If red flags erupt, you may begin to worry about bad faith, especially if they are slow to handle the claim, delay without obvious reasons, deny you, or try to intimidate you into taking a lowball offer. Duplicitous insurance companies have countless ways to try and discredit a claim (or even you), making accusations about fraud or tearing down witnesses who could have been on the scene when damage or an accident occurred.

A bad faith insurer may delay your case by asking for excessive amounts of documentation – even to include tax returns. They may even go so far as to request interviews that are tape-recorded or ask you to participate in an examination under oath, which can be an extremely stressful process. As soon as you suspect bad faith, consult with a skilled insurance attorney from an office like the Bolender Law Firm.

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!

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.

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!

As a policyholder, you have enough stress—and it starts at the outset as you must take what can be considerable time out to research what you need, find a good agent, and pay for a policy. Along with that, when you sign on the dotted line, you promise to uphold your end of the agreement as stated in the policy—and the insurer is promising to pay out as agreed if you have a claim that is valid within the stated guidelines. This is true for any type of insurance policy, whether you are protecting property like your car, home, or commercial site—or insuring your health, life, or more.

The insurance industry takes in billions of dollars in premiums each year. And all too often, they don’t want to let go of one penny without a fight. It may just be business as usual for the insurer, but as you fight to receive much-needed financial compensation after a debilitating car accident, repair your home after a storm or a fire, pay off medical expenses, or cover an issue with a customer at your business, days, weeks, and months of waiting can be devastating to your financial (and emotional) health, as well as that of your family.

Bad faith practices may be evident in numerous ways, beginning with … nothing. That’s a very bad sign if you have filed a claim and an adjuster does not seem to be asking for information or investigating at all; usually, for example, if you are in a car accident and there is a claim, the adjuster for either side may be calling you practically before you have left the emergency room. Other signs of bad faith will manifest in unreasonable delays, lowball offers, and requests for outrageous amounts of documentation, including repetitive information. The end of the road—and what should be the impetus for you to reach out for expert legal help—is the outright denial. For an insurer to refuse to pay your claim, there is usually a typical problem such as an exclusion to the policy, lapse in payments, too much lapse in time in reporting the claim, or other basic issues. If you are not getting any answers, the insurer is being negligent all around.

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!