Bad Faith Claims
Insurance companies exist to help individuals recover their monetary losses after accidents. Automobile insurance, health insurance, and homeowner’s insurance all exist for this primary reason. As businesses, insurance companies are expected to provide honest customer service that satisfactorily meets policyholders’ needs. When a policyholder feels that his or her insurance company has not fulfilled this duty, he or she may file a bad faith claim against it.
In Florida, insurance providers must abide by the laws that govern their rates and contracts. If your insurance provider violates one of these laws, you could have grounds for a bad faith claim. Speak with an experienced insurance attorney about your situation before you decide whether or not to pursue a bad faith claim against your insurance provider. You have the right to enjoy all the benefits you purchased with your homeowner’s insurance policy. Do not allow yourself to be denied these benefits when you need them.
Examples of Bad Faith Claims
When an insurance policy is unreasonable with its offerings, a claimant may have grounds for a bad faith claim. These offerings can include settlements that are too low to cover the claimant’s losses, a denial of a valid claim, or taking too long to process and complete a claim and settlement, resulting in financial hardship for the claimant. Some examples of bad faith claims are as follows:
- Failure to conduct a full investigation of the claim before offering a settlement to the claimant.
- Telling a claimant that the benefits he or she is attempting to receive are not included in his or her policy when in fact, they are.
- Improperly filing and processing a claim, resulting in a compromised settlement for the claimant.
- Failure to live up to the terms used in the provider’s marketing materials.
- Requiring that the claimant provide unreasonable documentation to prove his or her claim’s validity.
- Losing the claimant’s information or claiming to have never received it despite the claimant’s record of sending it to the company.
- Paying partial benefits to a claimant who is entitled to receive full benefits for his or her claim.
- Hiring experts to side with the provider, rather than to objectively determine an appropriate payout for the claimant.
Insurance providers are businesses and will often attempt to pay out the lowest amount possible to claimants. By working with an attorney to pursue your homeowner’s insurance claim, you can significantly improve your chance of receiving adequate coverage for your losses.
Homeowners Insurance Claim Attorneys in Winter Park
If you think you might have grounds for a bad faith claim against your homeowner’s insurance provider, contact the Hornsby Law Group at 407-499-8887 in Winter Park to discuss your circumstances with one of the experienced attorneys at our firm. We can help you determine the best way to pursue your claim and if you choose to do so, provide expert legal advice and representation throughout the process. Do not wait to make this call – be proactive and contact our firm today.
