The team at Beckett has years of experience in dealing with the big insurance companies. These companies have many resources at their disposal that they use to deny insurance claims. Whether it is a claim for property loss, car insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, or any other type of claim, you deserve to be treated fairly and receive the compensation you deserve from your insurance company. Unfortunately, there are many examples of insurance companies acting in bad faith and refusing fair compensation for their policyholders. If you feel like you are being mistreated, our team can help.
Bad Faith Insurance Claims
In order to understand a bad faith insurance claim, it is essential to understand that your insurance company owes you a duty of good faith. This duty of good faith includes a variety of different aspects, however, in general it is referring to your insurance company evaluating your claim in a fair way.
Unfortunately, some insurance claims are not evaluated in this fair and non-adversarial way. Some common tactics that an insurance company can use include:
- - Repeatedly losing paperwork and asking for documents to be resubmitted
- - Requiring excessive paperwork to be completed
- - Not representing facts in an accurate way
- - Cancelling an insurance policy because of a claim made by the policyholder
- - Refusing to fully investigate an insurance claim
- - Providing a settlement offer that is far less than what the claim is worth
- - Refusing to pay the claim in a timely manner
- - Denying a current, valid claim on the basis of a policyholder’s past claims
While this list isn’t exhaustive, it is a general overview of the ways in that insurance companies can act in bad faith. Even if your claim is ultimately denied, the way your insurance company processed your claim and treated you is a determining factor as to whether the claim was adjusted in good faith.
The adjuster who is assigned to your claim should be investigating your claim. This may include asking for specific information, documentation, or a statement. In order to make a decision about your claim, it is essential that the adjuster fully understand the details of your unique situation. They should review all the evidence when making a final determination of your claim and focus on the evidence that is presented, rather than looking for evidence that supports a denied claim.
How A Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
A bad faith insurance claim can be far more complex than your average denial of a benefit claim. As such, it is strongly recommended that you contact a lawyer if you feel you are being treated unfairly by your insurance company or adjuster. Since there are many unique and individualised parts of a bad faith insurance claim, it is best to consult with a lawyer who has the knowledge and expertise to help you build your case.
The experienced personal injury lawyers at Beckett can meet with you to discuss the specific details of your case and the options that are available to you. Our extensive experience in the fields of personal injury and insurance claims means that we’re ready to help you through your unique case and fight for justice. If you're ready to take the next step, reach out to Beckett today. Visit our contact us form for a free case evaluation.
Published on June 3, 2022
