Steps to Deal with an Unreasonable Insurance Company

Insurance companies will often use every means available to them to delay, limit, or avoid a payout entirely on a policy, regardless of the validity of the claim. They might stall their investigation, issue unreasonable document requests, offer you a lowball settlement, or drag their feet in issuing a payout. When your insurance company is being unreasonable, you have options to fight back. Continue reading for tips from our savvy Los Angeles insurance bad faith lawyers on how to deal with an insurance company engaging in shady behavior.

Gather Your Evidence and Prepare Responses

If your policy was denied because of a lack of relevant evidence or based on an erroneous interpretation of your policy or your medical care, you could respond directly to the insurance provider. Get information, records, and statements from your doctor and provide them to your insurance agent. There is a chance that your insurance provider has simply made a mistake or that they are innocently confused. If they are asking for additional documents and their requests are reasonable, do your best to comply. At a certain point, document requests can become burdensome, and they may be pointless requests meant simply to delay and wear you down. At that point, you may need to take further action.

Get a Lawyer

If your insurer is being inflexible, by refusing to make a decision one way or another on your claim or by ignoring your communications and requests for an update, it is time to take affirmative steps. Get an insurance bad faith lawyer on your side to start the process. Your lawyer will communicate with the insurance provider and make sure that they are actually taking the steps they are legally required to take in assessing your claim. If your claim is denied, your attorney will help you appeal the denial internally and to the appropriate external agencies.

Don’t Accept a Lowball Settlement

Insurance providers will often try to bully you into accepting a settlement offer well below what your claim is worth, knowing that you are in a difficult bargaining position. You very well might need that money as soon as you can get it. Do not let them push you around. Do not accept a settlement and sign away your rights without letting a lawyer help you evaluate your rights and your options. When an insurance provider sees that you have hired legal help, they will know that you are serious about your claim and may very quickly come back with a more reasonable offer.

Bad Faith Lawsuit

If your provider is engaging in flat-out bad faith behavior, you may have a civil claim for damages in an insurance bad faith lawsuit. Bad faith tactics include unreasonable delays in deciding your claim, issuing unreasonable document requests to browbeat you into giving up your claim, refusing to communicate with you or give you a reason for a claim denial, misrepresenting their policy or your claim, or otherwise behaving unreasonably. Talk to an insurance bad faith lawyer about your situation. You may be able to sue for the amount owed on your policy plus additional statutory damages based on the insurance provider’s bad faith conduct and any additional damage caused by their egregious actions, such as the effects of delayed medical treatment.

Get Help Fighting Back Against a Bad Faith Insurance Company

If your health, life, or disability insurance claim has been unreasonably denied, or if you are dealing with other bad faith insurance issues in California, fight for the coverage you are owed with the help of the seasoned and effective Los Angeles insurance bad faith lawyers at Gianelli & Morris for a free consultation at 213-489-1600.