San Mateo Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer

At Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos, our San Mateo bad faith insurance attorneys believe it is imperative to make sure insurance companies keep their word and act ethically. If an insurer puts profits above the obligations to their policyholders and do everything to not pay out claims, our bad faith insurance lawyers sue to have the court use the remedies that can be sought to punish these actions and stop these occurrences from happening.

If you have been denied an insurance claim unreasonably, call (650) 547-8141 or email us online to schedule your free consultation with a San Mateo bad faith insurance lawyer.

Our insurance denial lawyers commitment to our clients means suing their insurance companies for bad faith when their claims disputes have been handled unreasonably and unjustly. No matter what type of insurance policy you have, if an insurance company has acted in bad faith we can help you recover the benefits owed on the claim and seek additional damages.

If you think your insurance company has acted in bad faith in denying your claim, you should contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation.

What is a Bad Faith Insurance Claims?

Insurance companies have a duty to act reasonably and in good faith to pay legitimate claims in a timely fashion. An insurance company can act in bad faith in a number of ways such as:

• Denying payment for a valid claim
• Unreasonably delays in investigating a claim or providing payment
• Failing to thoroughly pay or severely underpaying a claim without reasonable basis

For immediate help on your bad faith insurance claim because of an insurance companies unfair denial, contact us online or call (650) 547-8141 to speak to a insurance company denial attorney today.

Type of Bad Faith Insurance Claims

Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos can help you prove insurance bad faith in court. Our bad faith insurance attorneys have handled many bad faith insurance claims on all types of insurance including

• Health
• Disability
• Property
• Auto
• Homeowner
• Malpractice
• Life Insurance Policies

Making Insurers Pay for Their “Dispute, Delay, Deny” Tactics Our insurance attorneys will not only prove the underlying acts constituted bad faith, but our bad faith lawyers will aggressively pursue all additional damages that are applicable and available to you as well. If an insurance company has acted improperly in delaying or denying payment we not only seek that the claim be paid for the full amount submitted for, we will also seek the attorneys’ fees that were needed to prove your bad faith claim.

Our bad faith insurance law firm will also petition for economic losses such as lost wages for the time you were in court, the expenditures you had to make to prove your case, and any funds you had to use in place of the money you would have used from your claim. We can also seek out emotional distress damages. In extreme cases of bad faith we will ask the court to award punitive damages, which are damages that seek to punish an insurer for egregious behavior.

Bad Faith Insurance Issues can be Especially Costly for Seriously Injured Claimants

The fact that parties with severe injuries may not be capable of sufficiently self-advocating underlines the importance of settling insurance claims in good faith. The period following an accident is stressful, and if you have suffered an injury, you can’t easily negotiate your settlement while figuring out how to deal with the insurance company.

Many states have established practical regulations to ensure good faith. For example, the California Department of Insurance established the Fair Claims Settlement Practices Regulations code to support the process of claim settlements in a transparent way.

An experienced bad faith insurance attorney in your area can determine how the laws apply to your particular situation and ensure that if you have experienced bad faith in your claim, you will fully recover upon your damages.

Don’t Rush Your Settlement

The practice of settling automobile accident claims is generally relatively straightforward and process-based. Following your accident, reaching out to your own insurance company gets the ball rolling. Contacting a San Mateo personal injury attorney as soon as possible is also suggested to begin protecting your rights by collecting the right evidence to support your case from the outset.

Often, insurance companies will be quick to offer a settlement, which can be appealing as moving on from the accident is often a priority. However, rushed settlements can deny you the full amount of possible compensation to which you are entitled, and further, could allow for bad faith practices to go unnoticed.

The Opposing Insurance Company Does Not Work for You

It is important to remember when approaching the settlement and negotiation process concerning your accident that the at-fault party’s insurance company does not work for you. The role of the insurance company, as with any for-profit company, is to maximize profits. An insurance company is motivated to settle as quickly as possible to minimize the amount of employee time invested and to minimize the amount of time you have to explore your case to consider factors that would lead to a maximum settlement.

Having a bad faith insurance attorney on your side during the negotiation process can be extremely helpful in your case. When you are in the process of recovering from an accident and handling any property repairs, the last thing on your mind is maximizing your settlement by properly applying the law and case precedent to your accident. This is where a bad faith insurance attorney can help take the stress out of your day-to-day life and help you fully recover through collecting all damages you are entitled to.

Life Insurance Companies Must Process Claims in Good Faith

When you have lost a loved one, collecting on their life insurance can be an essential factor in your ability to recover from the loss financially. Delays in compensation or bad faith denials can make the tragedy of your loss increasingly stressful and negatively impactful upon your life.

The AARP has reported substantial issues with fraud and bad faith in the life insurance industry. They recently reported that the company Life Investors had established a practice through which they made life insurance premiums to be artificially low during the initial years of low-risk, but then rate increases later when the risk is greater, resulting in many policyholders losing their coverage. The company had, in bad faith, sold cheaper policies during the low-risk period planning the entire time to increase the rates beyond what the client could afford to avoid paying out.

A life insurance claim need not be denied for bad faith insurance practices to have affected you. If a life insurance company priced you out of a policy that you thought you could afford and the company approved you for, you might be entitled to damages.