After an accident claim is filed, insurance companies should process the claim in a timely fashion. In some cases, however, a dispute may arise regarding whether or not a loss is covered under a policy's terms. In other cases, an insurer takes an undue amount of time in paying a claim even though there is no question regarding whether or not a loss is covered under a policy. When insurance companies take too long in settling a claim or suddenly decide to deny coverage or change policy terms, they can be held liable for bad faith insurance practices.
San Gabriel Bad Faith Insurance Claim Lawyers
At the Law Offices of Scott Warmuth, we have an in-depth understanding of the insurance industry and the laws that regulate it at both the state and federal level. Our attorneys take immediate action in writing demand letters and preparing for litigation when insurance companies engage in bad faith insurance practices.
If you've encountered difficulties with your insurer in settling a claim, contact San Gabriel, California insurance bad faith attorneys at the Law Offices of Scott Warmuth today to schedule an appointment and discuss your case. Call (888) 500-2081 or contact us online today.
Uninsured / Underinsured Claims and Insurance Bad Faith Practices
If you are hit by an uninsured / underinsured driver, if you have the appropriate coverage, you can recover all or a portion of your losses under the terms of your own policy. Since insurers are in business to make money, paying uninsured / underinsured claims is frowned upon, especially if your insurer cannot recover what they pay you through subrogation. As a result, insurers may take an undue amount of time in investigating car accidents, truck wrecks, or motorcycle crashes where the other driver was uninsured or underinsured.
In this regard, it's important to remember that California is a pure comparative negligence state. In essence, this means you can recover losses even if you are 99% at fault in an accident; however, your compensation will be reduced by the percentage of the fault assigned to you. So, if you suffer $100,000 in losses in a car accident and are found 60% at fault, you can only recover $40,000. If your insurer can shift more of the blame onto you, the injury victim, the amount they have to pay under the terms of your uninsured / underinsured coverage will be less.
If your insurer delays payment of your claim in order to extend its investigation or buy time to find anything it believes places more fault onto you, our lawyers can put them on notice and begin the process of filing an insurance bad faith practices lawsuit.
Bad Faith Insurance Practices and Denied Claims or Denied Coverage
Insurance policies are "contracts of adhesion." This means you have to accept the terms of the policy as is or there simply is no contract. As a result, any vague or unclear language will typically be interpreted in favor of the policy holder since the insurance company is the one that writers the contract. When an insurer tries to deny coverage or deny a claim on the basis of unclear, indistinct language, our attorneys are prepared to challenge them in court.
If your claim was denied, we can check the declarations page of your policy to see if there is a question of ambiguous or unclear language.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in San Gabriel or Rowland Heights Today!
Our attorneys represent clients throughout Southern California including these cities:
- San Gabriel
- Rowland Heights
- Diamond Bar
- Hacienda Heights
- Chino Hills
- City of Industry
- Alhambra
- Arcadia
- Pasadena
- And More
To schedule an appointment and discuss your case, contact San Gabriel insurance bad faith attorneys at the Law Offices of Scott Warmuth. Call (888) 500-2081 or email us today.
