Did State Farm Deny Your Life Insurance Claim?
The life insurance denial lawyers at Gianelli & Morris are ready to help!
You shouldn’t have to think about your life insurance more than once in a blue moon. You browse your options, pick a plan that’s right for you, fill out the application, and sign on the dotted line. You may reconsider your policy as part of your financial planning or estate planning every so often, but life insurance should generally be the least of your worries once purchased. So long as you keep paying your premiums, you are covered.
Unfortunately, life insurance providers like State Farm have other designs. You may think you are covered, but once the covered party passes, you may find that State Farm inexplicably rejects your claim. State Farm has a history of denying life insurance claims for improper reasons, refusing to pay out the coverage they owe. If State Farm isn’t there in your time of need, the life insurance denial attorneys at Gianelli & Morris are ready to be the good neighbor you actually deserve.
Who Is State Farm?
It’s likely that State Farm needs no introduction. State Farm is the biggest provider of property and casualty insurance in the United States. They offer a number of insurance products, including auto, property, and life insurance. State Farm is known for its compelling ad campaigns calling itself your “good neighbor,” ready to be there for you.
Despite its folksy slogans, State Farm is not your friendly neighbor. In fact, State Farm was rated the fourth worst insurance company in the U.S. by the American Association for Justice based on its history of wrongful claim denials and delayed claim payouts. Don’t be fooled by the friendly face they portray; if you have a life insurance policy issued by State Farm, you could find serious trouble in getting the benefits you are owed. Luckily, you don’t have to face a wrongful denial alone. Our savvy and experienced insurance denial and insurance bad faith attorneys are ready to help.
Defending Against State Farm Life Insurance Claim Denials
State Farm, like other life insurance providers and just about every insurance company, will look for any reason they can to deny your life insurance claim. State Farm is required by law to conduct a proper investigation before denying your claim, and if they do reject coverage, they must explain to you their reasons for doing so. While there are legitimate reasons to deny a claim, State Farm and other California life insurers often stretch policy language, manipulate the facts, and flat-out ignore medical science in order to justify a claim denial.
The savvy life insurance denial attorneys at Gianelli & Morris are well-versed in State Farm’s denial tactics. We’ll help you fight back against a life insurance coverage denial for any reason, including the following:
Policy lapse. Life insurers will cancel a policy if the premiums are not paid on time. However, insurers are required to give proper notice to the policyholder and other affected parties after a missed premium and well in advance of terminating the policy, and if they fail to give the required notice, then they cannot legally cancel the policy.
Excluded cause of death. Life insurance policies often exclude coverage for death caused by suicide or underlying health conditions, or that occur during the commission of criminal activities. However, just because they claim that a death was caused by an underlying condition, or that a cause of death was excluded, that does not make it so. You have the right to challenge their findings and their interpretation of your life insurance policy.
Misrepresentations in the policy application. State Farm will rescind life insurance policies (meaning they will refund the premiums and act as if the policy was never issued) that were issued based on material misrepresentations in the original policy application. Rescission is only allowed if the mistakes in the application were material, meaning important. Misrepresentations regarding the applicant’s age, pre-existing conditions, and drug or cigarette habits are material; typos in the address field are not. Moreover, policy rescission is only permitted within the first two years of the policy. If the covered party dies after more than two years into policy coverage, then no rescission based on errors in the application is allowed.
Contact Gianelli & Morris After a Wrongful Life Insurance Claim Denial by State Farm
If someone you love has passed away and your life insurance claim has been denied by State Farm or another life insurance company in California, contact the no-nonsense Los Angeles insurance denial lawyers Gianelli & Morris for a free evaluation of your claim at 213-489-1600.
