Insurance Bad Faith
Insurance companies want to make money. To do so they use tactics to avoid paying out on a claim. When this conduct violates the contract you hold with your insurance company, it is “insurance bad faith.” This allows you to pursue legal action against the insurance company.
However, you must act quickly to hold your insurance company accountable. The statute of limitations for personal injury claims is usually three years. However, your contract with the insurance company may result in a much shorter time period.
The insurance bad faith attorneys at Premier Law Group have years of experience. We can obtain successful case results for our clients. We aim to protect our clients’ rights and expose the unethical practices of insurance companies. Call us today at 206.285.1743 to get started on your FREE case review.
A Promise to Act in “Good Faith”
Insurance companies must operate in good faith when working to resolve a claim. This means that they are honest and timely with the claimant. This also means they will investigate the claim thoroughly, and pay the proper compensation to the claimant. If the insurance company does not follow these terms, they are acting in bad faith.
Furthermore, insurance companies make money in two ways. They charge high premiums and pay out as little money as possible in claims. When these companies get greedy, they try to deny or devalue claims. Their hope is to discourage claimants. Then the claimants will accept low settlement offers without examining the fine print of their contracts. However, if you bring your case to Premier Law Group, we can help you fight back. You deserve to get full and fair compensation for your damages.
Examples of “Bad Faith”
As a customer, you never expect insurance bad faith practices to impact your life. But what are “insurance bad faith practices?” Insurance companies have ways to frustrate claimants to the point that they will accept a lower settlement offer.
There are a number of ways that have been reported. Some of the more common tactics we see are:
- Claim Delays: The insurance company delays the case or processing of a claim.
- Payment Delays: The insurer does not provide payment in a timely manner in order to settle the claim.
- Claim Denial: The insurance company outright denies the claim, even if it is perfectly valid.
- Claims Fraud: Deceit related to a claim or an unfair practice to avoid payment.
- Contributory/Comparative Negligence: Unfair or false survey of negligence, fault or application of contributory negligence laws.
- Adjuster Problems: The claims adjuster handles the claim poorly.
- Misrepresentation: The insurance company makes misleading or untrue statements about the policy or about the insurance during the marketing and sales processes.
- Unfair Settlement Offer: The insurer’s settlement offer was purposely below fair value.
- Pre-Existing Condition Denial: The insurance company denied a claim improperly based on a pre-existing condition.
- Medical Necessity Denial: The insurer denied coverage improperly by saying treatment wasn’t needed.
- Usual, Customary & Reasonable (UCR) Charges: The insurance company’s “usual, customary and reasonable” amounts for payment are inadequate.
- Subrogation: Improper subrogation activity by the insurer.
If your insurance company is guilty of any of the above, contact an experienced insurance bad faith attorney. We will discuss your situation and help you navigate how to move forward.
Filing an Insurance Bad Faith Claim in Seattle or Bellevue
What should you do if you believe you were a victim of bad-faith insurance practices? Firstly, you should know the insurance company only wants to make more money. Secondly, these insurance bad faith practices are illegal.
You are able to bring a lawsuit against an insurance company acting in bad faith. However, it is not a simple process. Firstly, you must determine whether there was a violation of your rights as stipulated in your insurance policy. Next, the contact between you or other parties and the insurance company must be looked at. This is to determine whether it failed to follow proper procedure.
With the help of an insurance bad faith lawyer, you won’t have to worry about what has to be done. At Premier Law Group, we will handle the legal side for you. When you work with an attorney, the insurance company is less likely to risk bad publicity. Also, with the right attorney, you can rest comfortably knowing you will get the compensation you deserve for your suffering
How To Prove a Bad Faith Claim?
In a bad-faith claim, you must demonstrate that:
- There was a requirement for the insurance company to handle your initial claim in good faith;
- The insurance company did not fulfill its duty to you. This could be by delaying a claim, poorly examining it, or changing the terms of your policy without warning;
- The insurance company had knowledge that its actions were not reasonable;
- You have damages resulting from the insurance company’s actions.
Furthermore, a lawsuit may not be necessary if your lawyer can obtain a fair deal outside of court. Insurance companies will avoid courtrooms if they can help it. However, at Premier Law Group, we can take your case to court. We want to ensure you are treated fairly by the insurance company.
Contact Premier Law Group
At Premier Law Group, our insurance bad faith lawyers have the experience to investigate any claim of insurance bad faith. We can determine what the best options are in every case for all of our clients. To get started on your free case review, call at 206.285.1743. As always, there is no fee unless you win your case.