As consumers, we trust that the insurance companies will do the right thing. We trust that they will honor their insurance policies (contracts) and pay an insurance claim per that insurance policy. We trust they will protect and defend us as needed. While the majority of insurance claims are paid in accordance with the claimant’s policy, too many are not. All too often, insurance companies will deny your claim, or offer to pay you money that does not even cover your medical expenses and/or lost income, or fully compensate you for the losses you have sustained in an accident. And, all too often the company fails to protect the insured in the event the insured gets sued and faces the exposure of a judgment that exceeds the coverage available.
If your insurance company has purposely refused to fairly process your insurance claim, you may have a claim for bad faith. Insurance companies are required by law to treat their customers fairly and this includes payment of claims that are honestly due to the insured.
In 1982, the state of Florida enacted the Florida Unfair Claims Practices Act (UFCA) to protect consumers from insurance companies that do not make good faith efforts to settle claims. Bad faith insurance law arose because, in the past, insurance companies have mistreated their clients and refused to pay for legitimate claims. Such conduct often hurts the consumer by forcing them to pay unnecessary legal fees or give up on their legitimate claim.
Examples of Bad Faith on the part of the insurance company include:
It is an outrage when insurance companies place profits before people, but it happens. Legal representation throughout the claims process can help increase the chances that an insurance carrier will deal with you in good faith and provide you with a result that is fair and just.
Fighting an insurance company can feel like a proverbial "David vs. Goliath" situation and the insurance company may resort to intimidation or just ignore your questions and requests for information and answers all together. And when it comes to defending themselves, the insurance companies have seemingly unlimited resources, and employ high-priced legal teams. The Insurance Bad Faith Lawyers at Riley Allen Law have the resources and experiences to go toe-to-toe with the insurance companies. We relish this environment and truly enjoy helping those in need of our services.
Riley Allen began his career working as Insurance Defense Lawyer. We understand Florida Insurance Laws, and more importantly, understand insurance company tactics. Our past experience and passion have helped us to achieve outstanding and well-recognized multimillion results in the bad faith arena, including a $13 Million result which the insurance carrier could have resolved for $300,000, had it acted appropriately.
Insurance Policies can be complex, and terms such as Personal Injury Protection (PIP), Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM), Bodily Injury, Property Damage, Comprehensive and Collision Coverage can be confusing. We have a number of resources and informational articles that may be of help to you, and you can view these here or in our Info Center.
If you or a family member believes that you may be the victim of bad faith on the part of the insurance company, do not hesitate to contact us or call us at 407-838-2000 to discuss the situation. We are here to help.
