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Oxnard Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers
Standing Up to Insurance Companies on Your Behalf
Insurance companies have an obligation to pay insurance claims that meet the requirements of the policies they sell. Any attempt to dishonestly withhold the benefits of an insurance claim from a claimant may constitute bad faith insurance, which is a severe violation of a policyholder’s rights.
Have you been in an accident and need financial support from your insurer, only to be given an unreasonably difficult time or an unexplained denial in return? Our attorneys can use years of insight and legal experience to challenge bad faith insurance in all of its forms, pursuing fair and maximized compensation on your behalf.
Call (805) 470-1628 now to connect with Schurmer Reese Davies in Oxnard. We offer free case evaluations. Schedule yours today.
5 Ways Bad Faith Insurance is Often Conducted
Unexplained Delays
Investigating an insurance claim and deciding whether to pay the claimant or not does take time. Yet the time it takes to handle an insurance claim cannot be unreasonably long.
More importantly, any delays to the process should be explained to the claimant. Some insurance companies may be tempted to buy themselves time to avoid making a payout by delaying related processes as much as possible and never telling the claimant a valid reason why.
Lowballed Values
Insurance adjusters are tasked with determining how much money will be required to correct or repair all damages related to a filed claim.
Intentionally undervaluing the damages to try to pay as little as possible to the claimant is a form of bad faith insurance. To help catch an insurance company lowballing a claim, it is useful for claimants to hire their own third-party appraisers.
Incorrect Denials
Every insurance policy allows for claims that do not meet qualifications to be denied. Bad faith insurance happens when a denial is made for no valid reason.
When a claimant is sent a letter that notifies them of their denied claim, it is crucial to pass that letter along to an attorney, along with a copy of their insurance policy, to look for any discrepancies that would prove the denial was unjustified.
Inadequate Investigations
Insurance companies have a duty to carefully investigate claims to determine which should be paid and which should be denied.
Investigations can focus on:
- Liability
- Total damages
- And more
Not conducting a thorough investigation in order to try to escape the responsibility of paying a claimant is a bad faith insurance tactic.
Misinterpreted Policy Language
In some instances, an insurance company will intentionally misinterpret the language of their own policies in order to construe a new reason to deny or undervalue a claim. All claimants should know the fine details of their own insurance policies to avoid this trick.
What Constitutes Bad Faith Insurance Claim?
Simply having your insurance claim denied is not enough to constitute bad faith insurance. There must be evidence that shows you were owed benefits as part of your insurance policy and that those benefits were withheld for invalid reasons.
When you get the help of our Oxnard bad faith insurance attorneys, you can leave the fine details of your claim to us, including the investigation of why your claim was denied. Using our extensive legal knowledge and understanding of various insurance policies, we can locate the signs of bad faith insurance and take steps accordingly.
How To Challenge Bad Faith Insurance
The first step in your bad faith insurance claim might be for our attorneys to write an official letter of demand to the insurance company that is withholding benefits from you. On the chance that the wrongful denial or undervaluing of your claim was actually unintentional or due to a misunderstanding, the letter of demand will give the insurer one final opportunity to make things right.
In case the letter of demand is denied as well, the next step will likely be filing a lawsuit against the insurer. The lawsuit will force the insurer to either enter negotiations with our attorneys to give you a fair settlement or take the case to the courtroom for litigation.
Due to our extensive history of success with litigating difficult cases, many insurers prefer to offer our clients a settlement.
Damages we can demand in your bad faith insurance lawsuit can include:
- Economic damages: In your original insurance claim, you requested payment of actual damages you have experienced due to an accident, like a car accident. We will continue to pursue those damages, so you can work on getting your life back on track.
- Noneconomic damages: The trouble of having to fight an insurance company for deserved damages has likely put you through undue strain and stress. Noneconomic damages seek financial compensation for your pain, suffering, and hardships related to your claim.
- Punitive damages: When an insurance company takes deliberate and significant steps to use bad faith insurance against you, the court may approve of punitive damages if your lawsuit is successful. Punitive damages essentially punish the defendant for intentional wrongdoing in an effort to deter them from doing something similar in the future.
Decades of Experience
Millions of Dollars Recovered for
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“Excellent, attentive service. I was quite pleased with the settlement amount. My first meeting in their office came the same day as my initial phone call. It was enjoyable to work with Bereniz, Sal, and Joey.”- Peter Strand
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“Excellent service! Very professional and made this whole process stress free I highly recommend the Schurmer firm.”- Nazario Dorado Silva
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“I would highly recommend The Schurmer Firm . They go above and beyond to fight for what you deserve. They take the time to listen to their clients and they truly believe in the idea of justice.”- Glenda Solomon
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“Once again (2ndx) Mr Schurmer, Sal and Joey were amazing! They worked diligently on our accident case. No need to look further. This family firm gets the case work done. God Bless them.”- Mary Holguin Guerrero Gonzalez
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“I would highly recommend The Schurmer Firm. They helped me out during a tough time and made this so easy for me to do and took the stress off my back.”- Lizbeth Reyes
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“Their team went above and beyond to handle my case with care, expertise, and efficiency. From the initial consultation to the settlement, they kept me informed and reassured every step of the way.”- Will Jandro
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I have met with Earl on a number of occasions and he has always been very professional. He is a very good attorney.- Brett H.
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I was hurt in a car accident and thanks to this firm I got the medical help I needed to return to work and put my life back together. I felt protected and was always in the loop with all the big decisions. I want to thank all the staff there, Earl, Joey, Sal, Justin and everyone else in the office.- Sergio B.
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