Pacific Life Insurance Claim Denial
Pacific Life Insurance Company is an insurance company and financial services company that provides life insurance, annuities, and a number of financial services to clients across the United States. As of 2019, Pacific Life has over $170 billion in assets and has over $1.1 trillion in life insurance in force. Pacific Life is one of the largest providers of life insurance to individuals and businesses in the country. They also have a history of wrongful claim denial and lawsuits alleging they mislead customers and falsely advertise their products. Like every other large insurer, Pacific Life tends to care about one thing above all else: its bottom line.
If your life insurance claim has been wrongfully rejected by Pacific Life, you do not have to deal with the fallout alone. A dedicated and knowledgeable life insurance claim denial attorney at Gianelli & Morris can help you fight back against the denial. We’ll help you contest your denial, pursue your appeal, and file your lawsuit in court where appropriate. If Pacific Life engaged in bad faith conduct, we’ll work with you to maximize your potential recovery and get you the compensation you deserve.
Why Pacific Life Denies Claims
Pacific Life may give any number of reasons for refusing to pay out on your life insurance claim. Sometimes the reasons are legitimate. Sometimes, the justification for denying a claim is simply an error that can be remedied, such as missing evidence or medical records, or an administrative mistake by the insurer in recording the date or cause of death. In other cases, however, Pacific Life may deny claims based on fabricated justifications that stretch the language in their policy, the medical evidence available, or the law in the State of California.
Regardless of the reasons given for the denial, you have the right to fight back. The seasoned life insurance denial attorneys at Gianelli & Morris help policyholders and beneficiaries appeal claim denials and recover the benefits they are owed in the face of denials based on, among other things:
- Excluded causes of death, such as:
- Suicide (typically excluded within the first two years of the policy)
- Death during the commission of a criminal act
- Death allegedly connected to an excluded preexisting condition
- Murder by a beneficiary
- Lapsed policy due to missed premiums
- Material misrepresentations in the original life insurance application
Pacific Life may only deny a claim if they have proper justification and if they explain their reasoning sufficiently. Each of the above-noted reasons for claim denial comes with caveats. Suicide or material misrepresentations only justify denial during certain time periods. Denial based on policy lapse requires that the insurer has given proper notice to policyholders and beneficiaries before letting the policy lapse. Make sure that Pacific Life does not get away with an unreasonable claim denial by discussing your case with the experienced insurance denial legal team at Gianelli & Morris.
Material Misrepresentations and The Two-Year Contestability Period
One of the most common reasons for denying life insurance coverage is rescission of the policy due to misrepresentations in the policy application. Denial of benefits on these grounds is only allowed when (a) the death occurred within two years of the policy’s effective or reinstatement date, and (b) there were actual material misrepresentations in the policy application. If the death occurred more than two years after the policy coverage began, then Pacific Life has no right to deny coverage based on the policy application, regardless of what was originally stated.
Moreover, “material” means that the misrepresentation must have been important to the policy coverage. Material misrepresentations might include:
- Lying about the applicant’s age
- Lying about income
- Lying about pre-existing medical conditions
- Lying about dangerous habits such as smoking, drug use, or extreme sports
A typo regarding the applicant’s address or name does not constitute a material misrepresentation. If Pacific Life denies your claim based on alleged errors in the policy application, call Gianelli & Morris to discuss your case. There’s every chance that they are violating California law or their own policy by erroneously denying you the benefits you are owed.
Reach Out to the Insurance Denial Attorneys at Gianelli & Morris After a Claim Denial by Pacific Life Insurance
If someone you love has passed and your life insurance claim has been denied by Pacific Life or another California life insurance provider, contact the experienced and compassionate Los Angeles insurance denial lawyers Gianelli & Morris for a no-cost evaluation of your claim at 213-489-1600.
