Policyholder Insurance Claim Disputes

Insurance claim disputes are not supposed to happen. The purpose of insurance is to help you when you are in need because of a tragic accident or an unfortunate event. Insurance is supposed to insure your financial protection.

Policyholders who face a claim of liability by a third party need their insurance company to keep its promise and defend the claim. If a judgment is obtained against the policyholder, the insurance company must pay the claim up to the limits and promise in the policy.

Policyholders who are making a claim under their own policy for business losses, property loss, or physical injury need their company to assist them in making the claim and filing a proof of loss, and the company needs to make prompt payment of the policy benefits so the insured can recover from the loss.

Unfortunately, insurance companies don’t always meet their obligation and keep the promises that they made. Insurance companies do this by denying claims, paying less than is owed, delaying payment, or making unreasonable demands before making payment.



Our firm has substantial experience in representing policyholders who have been denied coverage under their insurance policy.

Insurance is a Promise

The purpose of insurance is to help you when you are in need after you have suffered a tragic accident or unfortunate event. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not always meet their obligation. An insurance policy is a contract. When you purchase an insurance policy and pay your premiums you have entered a legally binding contract with the insurance company. In cases in which you are due benefits from you own insurance company, like disability, or life insurance policies or claims for uninsured or under-insured motorist benefits, your insurer owes you a duty of good faith and fair dealing. They are prohibited from denying your claim without a reasonable basis. Unfortunately, insurance companies and other large corporations do not make money by paying out large claims. Their loyalty is often to the owners and shareholders, not necessarily to the insured. Insurance companies sometimes employ a variety of dubious tactics to delay or deny a claim to protect their financial bottom line.



These tactics include:

• Failure to perform timely and adequate investigation in hopes that you will abandon your claim.
• Delay tactics, designed to pressure you into accepting the terms offered by the insurance company.
• Making unreasonable documentation or verification demands.
• Questioning your honesty or integrity.
• Requiring Statements under Oath.
• Denying coverage through aggressive interpretation of exclusions.
• Issuing reservation of rights letters to remain in control of the case, but maintaining the insurance.
• Company’s right to sue you and deny payment at a later date.

Get Help From Our Team

Contact us for a free consultation if you have paid your premiums faithfully, or you made a valid claim on someone else’s insurance policy in order to get protection when you needed it most, and the insurance company did not hold up their end of the deal. If an insurance company is not meeting their obligations or being unfair in their settlement practices, you need to consult with an attorney. Consultation is free, and we will review your legal rights with no further obligation. We will explain your options and the consequences so you can make the best decision given your circumstances.

Insurance companies make a lot of money off of the float. This is the amount of money they collect from premiums and invest, before paying any claims. If insurance companies can hold down the number of claims they pay out on, they’ll make more money and be able to satisfy upper management and their shareholders. If your claim was wrongfully denied, do not give up.

Our law firm can help you with insurance disputes and insurance claims. An attorney at our firm will perform a detailed review of your insurance policy dispute so you are fully informed about the coverage you have and the benefits you are entitled to under your policy.



If an insurance company or adjuster has improperly denied your claim, we will work to resolve your claim. If you have a valid claim for coverage and the insurance company will not acknowledge coverage or pay the claim, you have legal rights.

Breach of Contract

Insurance policies are contracts, and you have a right to have a court determine if your insurance policy provides coverage under the terms of the policy.

Vexatious Refusal to Pay

When an insurance company unreasonably fails to pay claims you make on your own insurance policy, you may be entitled, not only to the benefits of the insurance policy, but also may recover attorney’s fees expended in prosecuting your suit and penalty damages against the insurer for denying your claim unreasonably.

Bad Faith

You purchase insurance for your business and pay the premiums faithfully, in exchange for a promise that your insurance company would cover you if something went wrong. Unfortunately, insurance companies often act in their own best interest, looking after their bottom line rather than your bottom line. Businesses that are insured suffer financially when they face a lawsuit without the protection promised by the insurance policy, and they must pay expensive bills out of pocket as a result. Most businesses cannot afford the payments, which was the exact reason you purchased insurance for your business in the first place. Such lawsuits, without the financial protection that you bargained for, can lead to debt, bad credit, bankruptcy, and destruction of your business and your reputation.

How We Can Help

Our Columbia insurance lawyer provides effective representation to policyholders whose insurance companies have acted wrongfully or in bad faith. We aggressively pursue compensation against insurance companies for bad faith practices. You may be entitled to recover the full amount due under the benefits of the policy, expenses you have incurred in defending or prosecuting your lawsuit, damages for emotional distress and injury to reputation, attorney’s fees, and punitive damages.

When an insurance company puts its own interests ahead of those of its insureds, it has committed bad faith. A claim for bad faith may arise when an insurance company fails to defend its insured against a third party claim when coverage is owed under the policy, or when an insurance company fails to settle a claim within an insured’s policy limits. If you are a policyholder or insured who has been denied coverage and your insurance company has advised you, in a letter, that it is reserving its rights to deny the claim, or your insurance company has sued you, you need immediate legal help.



Our law firm can help battle insurance company claims denials and reservations of rights. In several cases we have been able to get the insurance company to change its coverage position. If an insurance company will not change its coverage position, then a policyholder and the insureds under the policy still have options, including filing suit to enforce coverage or negotiating an agreement with the party bringing the claim. Our firm has significant experience in representing policyholders and insureds who have been the victim of insurance company bad faith.

Contact us for a free evaluation of your insurance dispute by calling 800-264-3455.

Have You Been Sued By Your Own Insurance Company?

When a dispute arises with an insurance company, insurance companies often turn on the policyholder and file suit against them. Unfortunately, if you have an insurance contract with such an insurer, you are in a very complex situation and need legal assistance to protect your rights. If your insurance company has refused to protect your financial interest by denying coverage, offering you a reservation of rights or non-waiver agreement, or filing suit against you, you need help. Your insurance company is looking out for their own interests, so who is looking out for your interests? You need experienced representation. Our law firm has experience representing policyholders and prosecuting their claims against insurance companies.