Proven Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers Serving Portland, Oregon, & Washington
Was your insurance claim denied? Our knowledgeable and experienced Portland Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers are here to help you.
What Is a Bad Faith Insurance Claim?
A bad faith insurance claim allows you to recover additional damages from an insurance company because its behavior was unacceptable. A bad faith claim punishes the insurance company for its actions.
“Bad faith” refers to an insurance company wrongfully denying coverage or benefits to a consumer when they are rightfully owed that insurance coverage.
An insurance policy is a contract between the insurance company and its insured and this contract must be honored in “good faith.” This obligation of good faith means an insurance company must take all necessary steps to fully investigate a claim and consider all the circumstances supporting it as well as respond to requests for information or communication in a timely matter.
There are statutes of limitations or certain time frames in which a person must file a lawsuit in a personal injury claim. Insurance companies stalling or delaying necessary responses close to or beyond this time limit are suspect to evaluation of an act of bad faith. An insurance company cannot just look for reasons not to pay the claim: they must fully investigate it to determine if there is coverage under the policy.
It is in the best interest of the insurance companies to limit the amount of compensation they pay out to their customers. Sometimes a company refuses to pay a claim that clearly should be paid with the hope that the consumer will not fight the decision. Most insurance policies are complex and confusing documents with many terms and conditions: it is common that a consumer will not know everything that is or is not covered by their policy which may result in denied claims.
Recent Victory Obtained By Our Bad Faith Insurance Attorneys
$1.7 million insurance bad faith result for a woman who was seriously injured by a driver under the influence of prescription medication that caused a head-on collision. Insurance company paid $1.6 million in excess of insurance policy limits.
Insurance Company Denied Your Claim? Talk To One Of Our Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers In Oregon
If you think you have a bad faith claim, contact our Portland Bad Faith Insurance Attorneys to receive a free consultation to evaluate your policy and determine if the insurance company is acting in bad faith.
Our highly-skilled attorneys handle other types of personal injury cases as well, including:
- Catastrophic Injury
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Bus Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Medication Errors
- Construction Accidents
- Wrongful Death
- Medical Malpractice
- Sexual Abuse
- Nursing Home Abuse
- Birth Injuries
- Product Liability
- Spinal Cord and Head Injury
Bad Faith Insurance Claim Statute of Limitations
The bad faith insurance claim statute of limitations is generally two years from the date of the insurance company’s bad faith conduct. However, identifying the exact date of the bad faith activity can be complicated. And determining the statute of limitations cutoff date can be challenging without the correct information.
What To Do If the Insurance Company Is Stalling?
Contact a lawyer if you suspect the insurance company is stalling to avoid paying your claim. The insurance company might have valid reasons for the delay. However, other times their actions constitute bad faith.
