Insurance Bad Faith & Car Accident Claims
Delayed Payment, Denied Claims and Low Settlement Offers
Being injured in a car accident is bad enough without being subjected to dishonest or outright illegal practices by your or the other driver's insurance provider. An
insurance company may be said to be acting in "bad faith" if it intentionally does not live up to the terms of an insurance policy. This may take on the form of actively trying to find reasons to deny a valid claim, to delay payment or to offer unfairly low settlements in order to avoid high payouts. Retroactively canceling an insurance policy may be another way that an insurer may act in bad faith in handling a claim. This conduct can have a serious impact on a claimant, beneficiary or policyholder, resulting in significant financial problems.
The following are examples of what may be considered bad faith practices on the part of an auto insurance provider:
- Failing to investigate an auto insurance claim in a timely manner
- Failing to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the true extent of damage or the cause of the incident
- Unreasonably delaying payment of a valid claim
- Unreasonably denying a valid claim
- Refusing to settle a claim
- Irrationally refusing to reimburse a claimant for the full extent of their losses or expenses
- Using unreasonable or bizarre interpretations of an insurance policy
- Attempting to retroactively cancel an insurance policy without valid grounds to do so
Depending on the specific circumstances, a victim of insurance bad faith may be able to sue for the full value of their claim, plus damages.
If you're looking for legal help because you have been the victim of bad faith practices by an auto insurance company, click here to find a local car accident attorney.