Leesburg Insurance Bad Faith Attorney
When you pay for insurance, you expect to be covered to a reasonable extent. For instance, if you pay for car insurance, you expect to be able to recover compensation for damages to your vehicle and any injuries sustained in the accident. If you pay for uninsured motorist coverage, you expect to be covered in the event that a driver hits your vehicle and then takes off. If you pay for health insurance, you expect to be able to receive routine health maintenance care and the services that your plan provides.
Unfortunately, insurance is not so cut and dry, and even if your plan states that you are covered for a particular event, you may still be denied should you file an insurance claim for said event. If your insurance company denies you a claim even though you are positive that your plan includes coverage for the event for which you filed, or if your claim takes an unnecessarily long time to process, you may have a case for insurance bad faith. Contact a Leesburg insurance bad faith attorney to discuss your options in the event that your insurance company does not treat you fairly in claims dealings.
What Is Insurance Bad Faith?
Insurance bad faith is a legal term used to describe when an insurance company fails to act in the best interest of the insured. Insurance companies are required to act in good faith and fair dealings with their clients, and should they fail to do so, they would be considered to be acting in “bad faith.” Typically, an insurance company will only act in bad faith if they feel that they are going to be losing money by processing a claim. Claims in which insurance companies often lose money are:
- Uninsured motorist accident claims; and
- Hit and run accident claims.
However, the loss of money is not a good reason for an insurance company to act in bad faith, and if they do so, they are in violation of the law. If your insurance company acts in bad faith towards you, you have every right to file a lawsuit against them.
When Might An Insurance Company Act in Bad Faith?
Insurance companies have been known to act in bad faith in any number of instances. From health insurance claims to car insurance claims, and dental insurance claims to life insurance policies, insurance companies across the nation do not discriminate in the types of claims they deal with poorly. However, every once in a while an insurance company will choose to put profits before people, and neglect to treat their clients with the respect and care that they deserve.
Some examples of ways in which an insurance company may deal in bad faith include:
- Failing to provide you with a defense if you are sued;
- Failing to follow contractual procedures in the event that you dispute the amount of compensation owed to you in an accident claim;
- Denying your benefits entirely;
- Delaying your payments an unnecessarily long amount of time; or
- Paying less than what you are owed.
When to Consult a Leesburg Insurance Bad Faith Attorney
Consult a Leesburg insurance bad faith lawyer as soon as you suspect that your insurance company is not being fair in their dealings with you. If you have difficulty getting ahold of your insurance company, if your payments keep getting delayed, or if you were denied your benefits without any reasonable explanation, you are likely dealing with a case of insurance bad faith. Contact Simms Showers, LLP right away at 703-457-1793 to consult with one of our experienced insurance bad faith lawyers to discuss your options.
