If you were involved in an incident that resulted in bodily harm or property damage, it is likely that you have found yourself dealing with insurance companies. Although dealing with insurance companies can be straightforward, some insurance companies can make the process so difficult that legal assistance might be necessary. Some insurance companies even act in bad faith to prevent giving claimants the payout that they deserve.
If you were involved in an incident that resulted in the need to deal with an insurance company – which acted in bad faith – it is essential that you seek legal assistance as soon as possible. You could take action against the insurance company; you could file a bad faith claim.
If you would like to learn more about the possibility of filing a bad faith claim, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at Normandie Law Firm as soon as possible. Normandie Law Firm has many years of experience handling a variety of claims and ensuring that claimants are rightfully compensated. If you would like to learn more about your right to file a bad faith claim against the insurance company, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our experts as soon as possible.
The Importance of Insurance in Personal Injury
If you suffered any sort of personal injury accident, it is likely that you will have to deal with an insurance company. When the at-fault party is insured, liability is transferred to his or her insurance company. If the claim is valid and reaches a successful outcome, the insurance company will compensate the victim or the victim’s family (depending on the circumstances of the claim). When an at-fault party is not insured, he or she will be directly financially responsible for the incident. Since most at-fault parties do not have the means to cover any expenses related to an accident out-of-pocket, a lack of insurance coverage is often synonymous with being unable to recover any sort of compensation from the liable party. In general, the relevant insurance coverage applicable to a personal injury accident is of utmost importance.
Insurance and Property Damage
Incidents can also result in property damage. Depending on the specific details of a case, claimants could be eligible to recover compensation for the property damage to their personal property resulting from an incident – either from the liable party’s insurance coverage or the claimant’s insurance coverage. The claimant simply files a claim, and the insurance company investigates. Upon reaching the conclusion that the claim is valid, the insurance company compensates the claimant.
The General Process of Making an Insurance Claim
In general, the claim process with insurance companies is fairly straightforward. The claimant contacts the insurance company to report the incident and the damage sustained. The claimant files a claim. The insurance company begins an investigation into the validity of the claim. The insurance company reaches a decision in regards to the claim. The insurance company contacts the claimants to inform the claimant of the decision and compensates the claimant. This should take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Although the process might seem simple, it rarely is – due to something called bad faith.
What is Bad Faith?
When a party or entity acts in bad faith, they act with intentional dishonesty with the purpose of not fulfilling their specific legal obligations. Acting in bad faith can result in the intentionally misleading another party or an agreement with a party even without any real intention of fulfilling the agreement. In general, bad faith is simply a lack of honesty with the goal of avoiding a responsibility. Unfortunately, bad faith is common in terms of insurance.
Insurance Bad Faith
Insurance bad faith is a term used to describe a specific tort that policyholders could file against insurance companies when said insurance companies act in bad faith. In general, insurance companies have a duty to exercise or act in good faith when dealing with claimants – as soon as they violate their duty to act in good faith, they are acting in bad faith and could be the recipients of a bad faith insurance claim.
Car Accident Claims and Bad Faith Failure to Settle
Some examples of insurance companies acting in bad faith include the following:
- Adjusting an insurance claim dishonestly
- Delaying the processing of a claim intentionally
- Denying a valid claim purposely
- Denying insurance benefits for deserving claimants
- Denying the payment of a claim even before a formal, thorough investigation has been conducted
- Exhibiting misconduct during the insurance claim process
- Failing to issue payment in a timely manner
- Failing to keep the claimant informed regarding his or her claim
- Failing to promptly investigate an insurance claim
- Failing to respond to a demand within the appropriate timeline
- Failing to thoroughly investigate an insurance claim
- Providing the claimant with false or misleading information
- Refusing to reach a settlement even when liability is clear
- Refusing to respond to an insurance claim (ignoring the claim)
- Refusing to settle a claim (with no valid reason)
- Translating policy language making it unreasonable (or difficult to understand)
Although insurance companies should never act is bad faith; they do – and they often get away with it. If you believe that the insurance company with which you are currently dealing is acting in bad faith, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance as soon as possible (you might have grounds to sue the insurance company for acting in bad faith).
Why Do Insurance Companies Exercise Bad Faith?
Why do insurance companies resort to cheap tricks to deny claims and avoid paying the appropriate payouts? The answer to this question is simple. Insurance companies will do everything within their reach to avoid paying their claimants – every time they give a payout, they are losing money. Insurance companies simply do not want to pay claimants the compensation to which they are entitled. Resorting to cheap tricks to prevent paying payouts, unfortunately, is often successful. Many people do not know that they could take action against insurance companies for bad faith.
What Can You Do?
If an insurance company is refusing to pay you the compensation that you deserve, there are a number of things that you should do. First and foremost, do not get frustrated. Gather all records of any communication between you and the insurance company. Gather all records relevant to the accident that you suffered (records that prove that your claim is valid). Seek legal assistance immediately with a lawyer experienced in handling bad faith claims against insurance companies. A bad faith lawyer will be able to provide you with all the information that you need to handle your claim and ensure that you are rightfully compensated. You have the right to pursue a claim against the insurance company and fight for your right to be compensated. If you would like to learn more about what you could do after an insurance company refuses to compensate you, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our experts immediately.
Contact Normandie Law Firm Today
If an insurance company is acting on bad faith and refusing to pay you the compensation that you deserve, it is essential that you seek legal assistance immediately – you can sue the insurance company for bad faith. If you are in need of a bad faith lawyer to handle your claim against the insurance company, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our law firm immediately. The bad faith lawyers at our law firm are ready to evaluate your claim and provide you with the representation necessary for the insurance company to take your claim seriously and rightfully compensate you. If you would like to discuss your claim with our lawyers, do not hesitate to contact our law firm today.
At Normandie Law Firm, we understand that deciding to contact a lawyer is not always a simple decision – especially when speaking to a lawyer represents paying expensive legal fees. Even people who cannot afford expensive legal fees should be able to should be able to access the legal representation that they need. Our firm offers a variety of free legal services which include free consultations and free second opinions. During our free consultations and free second opinions, our lawyers will be available to answer all questions, address all your concerns, and ensure that you have all the information that you need for your claim. Whether you are interested in starting or continuing your claim against the insurance company that is acting in bad faith against you and your personal injury claim, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our experts immediately – our lawyers will evaluate your claim and ensure that you have access to all the tools necessary to sue the insurance company and recover what you are owed.
As mentioned, our firm offers free legal services. Our free legal services are available to you and all other affected parties as part of our Zero-Fee guarantee. Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that our clients will never have to worry about paying any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. Because our law firm is also based on a strict contingency structure, the clients that allow us to handle their claims will never have to worry about paying any legal expenses until after reaching a successful claim outcome. You will only be required to pay after you win. If you are ready to discuss your claim with our lawyers, do not hesitate to contact us immediately.
