Businesses and homeowners purchase insurance policies to minimize the economic impact of accidents and losses to their property. Ideally, an attorney should never have to be hired to recover benefits owed under an insurance policy and needed to repair and/or replace property that has been damaged or lost by events such as hail, wind, fire, water, vandalism, or theft. The policyholder pays premiums, and in exchange expects the insurance company to honor its promise to provide coverage.
People and businesses rely on insurance companies to protect them from unforeseen circumstances. In exchange for monthly premiums, people should receive compensation for the loss of their belongings and property in the event of a disaster. Unfortunately, many insurance companies don’t always follow the Rules. All too often, insurance companies wrongfully deny, delay, or underpay insurance claims, leaving property owners paying out-of-pocket for costly repairs or, in many unfortunate situations, going without being able to effectuate the repairs. However, all policyholders have rights, and if an insurance company operates in bad faith, policyholders can hold them accountable.
Despite a legal duty placed on insurance companies to perform their obligations and handle insurance claims in good faith, insurance companies sometimes fail to live up to their obligations. In these unfortunate instances, insurance companies disregard policyholder’s rights by improperly delaying the payment of benefits, underpaying the true value of the loss, or denying an insurance claim outright when the claim is covered under the policy. When insurance carriers do this, the policyholder is denied benefits it paid for and that are rightfully owed.
Under Texas law, policyholders have a right to have their claim investigated fairly and promptly. Additionally, any insurance company that denies a claim must provide a reasonable explanation for the denial. When insurance companies refuse to pay as required by the policy and in accordance with the true amount of the damages you have sustained, our firm refuses to accept such conduct and will fight for your rights. Many insurance companies will refuse to pay the full value of claims arising from Hurricane Harvey. Don’t be a victim, and let our firm fight to get what you deserve.
Bad Faith Tactics
Insurance companies sometimes use bad faith tactics in negotiating or failing to timely pay a due or owing claim. Some of the most common bad faith tactics insurance companies use to deny or undervalue a claim include:
- Claiming the property damage is just normal “wear and tear”
- Asserting the damage was caused by improper maintenance
- Misstating or miscalculating the age of the property
- Stating the cost of the damage is less than the deductible
- Stating the damage doesn’t fall under the terms of the insurance policy
In addition to these bad faith tactics, some insurance companies will also unnecessarily delay claims, causing policyholders to pay out of pocket for immediate repairs or suffer additional property damage waiting for repairs to be made. Although these tactics violate the Texas Insurance Code, laws protecting policy holders do not always ensure these types of practices stop from occurring. For policyholders, this means getting the compensation promised in their policy can be challenging if not impossible without the help of an attorney.
Our attorneys have extensive experience in handling matters on behalf of policyholders to address these types of insurance coverage and bad faith issues. We have successfully assisted policyholders in recovering substantial sums wrongfully denied and withheld by insurance carriers. If you believe your insurance claim has been improperly denied, delayed, or underpaid, please contact our office to discuss how we can assist you to address that conduct.
IF YOU HAVE SUFFERED A LOSS AND YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY IS REFUSING TO PROPERLY COMPENSATE YOUR LOSS, CALL CB TRIAL TODAY. WITH OFFICES IN HOUSTON, DENVER & ALBUQUERQUE, WE ARE ABLE TO HELP!!
