Insurance Lawyer in La Mesa
When you’ve been injured, are sick, or have suffered a serious loss, the last thing you want to do is fight with an insurance company over coverages and payment. However, despite legal contracts, laws, and promises otherwise, insurance companies often refuse to pay legitimate claims, and tend to make things as difficult as possible for policyholders or anyone with a right to benefits. At Garmo & Garmo, LLP, our experienced and aggressive legal team will advocate for your rights as we help our clients resolve insurance claim disputes in a wide range of areas.
Acts of Bad Faith by Insurance Companies
When you pay premiums to an insurance company, or are otherwise entitled to benefits, that company should pay what you are owed according to the terms of the contract. When they refuse, a policyholder can sue for breach of contract or breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. A policyholder can recover their attorney fees, out of pocket costs, and may also be compensated for emotional distress resulting from the bad faith presented by an insurance company.
California law provides that acts of bad faith by insurance companies could include:
- The unreasonable delay of payment on an insurance claim
- Failure to promptly and adequately investigate insurance claims
- Refusal to settle or defend a case brought by a policyholder
- Refusal to reimburse a policyholder for a loss that is covered
- The misrepresentation of insurance policy provisions or other facts
- Any attempt to withhold, avoid, or reduce the payment of insurance claim benefits
- Failure to acknowledge and act promptly and reasonably on communications from policyholders
- When liability is clear, any failure to attempt a good faith, prompt, and fair settlement of a claim
- Failure to deny or affirm insurance coverage within a reasonable period of time
- Forcing a policyholder to file litigation to recover policy benefits
- Failure to provide a clear explanation for any denial of claims
- Advising policyholders or claimants not to retain the services of an insurance attorney
If you believe that you have been the victim of bad faith by an insurance company, you have the absolute right to fight back and pursue a claim for the full and fair compensation you deserve.
Auto Insurance Claim Disputes
If you were injured in an auto accident and were either denied coverage or offered an unreasonably low settlement, you might have a legitimate dispute with an auto insurance company. These insurers do not report record profits to their shareholders by voluntarily issuing large payouts. Instead, they routinely deny claims that should be paid and make lowball offers to settle cases.
Whether you have a situation involving a hit and run driver, an accident with a commercial vehicle, or some other severe auto accident in the San Diego area, you have rights with California auto insurance coverage. Our experienced auto insurance and bad faith coverage lawyers can advocate for those rights and fight for the payments you deserve.
Property Insurance Claim Disputes
Property insurance is supposed to provide you with peace of mind, and this doesn’t come cheap. If you have been denied or lowballed coverage for earthquake, flood, wind damage, fire, mold, construction defects, theft, or other property losses, you should receive the full value of what your insurance contract promises. Contact our qualified California property insurance dispute attorneys to discuss your situation.
Disability Insurance Claim Disputes
No longer being able to earn a paycheck or take part in some of your normal activities can be challenging enough without having to worry about paying the bills. When you pay for private disability insurance, you expect those benefits to be there when you need them. Unfortunately, these are often unscrupulous companies who will turn their investigations into an extended process before they issue a denial of benefits.
Most of these companies would rather pay to defend a claim than issue checks to people who are rightfully deserving. These are cases in which you need the services of an aggressive insurance claims dispute attorney.
Health Insurance Claim Disputes
It can be increasingly frustrating when you pay a fortune each month in health insurance premiums only to find out that the insurance company doesn’t want to pay for your medical care when you need it the most. Health insurers are notorious for locating loopholes in their policies to minimize their payouts to people who have put faith in their services.
A health insurer might deny coverage based on the treatment being not medically necessary, out of network, or for a pre-existing condition. They might also delay payment or only offer partial reimbursement. Depending on the terms of your policy, any of these actions could be considered a breach of contract, and we urge you to contact our office to discuss your options.
Life Insurance Claim Disputes
We buy life insurance products that we expect will be fulfilled once we are gone. Premiums are often paid over the course of many years so that a spouse or child can enjoy financial security when we die.
While life insurance companies spend fortunes on advertisements, they may look for reasons not to hold up their end of the bargain when it comes time to pay. If your family is having difficulty with a life insurance company in any way, our insurance dispute attorneys can help.
Other Types of Insurance Disputes
There are as many types of insurance disputes as there are policies. Some of the other types of bad faith cases and disputes that we help clients resolve involve:
- Business insurance
- Long-term care insurance
- ERISA insurance policies
- Mortgage insurance
- Credit insurance
- Errors & Omissions insurance
Choose a Legal Team with Strength and Experience
It’s not uncommon to feel like David taking on Goliath when dealing with an obstinate insurance company. With an experienced insurance dispute attorney on your side, you can confront these giants, and make sure that they take your claims seriously.
At Garmo & Garmo, LLP, we represent individuals, families, and businesses who are receiving unfair and unjust treatment from insurers. Our legal team will fight for your right to have your claim or benefits paid timely and in full.
If you believe that you are not being treated fairly by your insurance company, you may have legal options. Contact our San Diego office now at 619-441-2500 or reach us online to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.
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