At our law firm, we’ve handled dozens of bad faith cases against insurance companies. Having practiced personal injury law in the greater Kansa City area for almost 20 years, we have seen some very bad behavior and actions from insurance companies. Sometimes, that bad behavior or those bad acts give rise to a lawsuit against that insurance company. This has happened in many of our cases and we have a lot of experience prosecuting them. Here is a brief overview of a bad faith case and things you can do to protect yourself from an insurance company’s bad acts.
Overview of Bad Faith Cases
Generally speaking, bad faith cases are lawsuits against an insurance company for putting its interests ahead of its insured. When you buy insurance, the carrier makes certain promises that they must fulfill in good faith. When they break those promises and as a result you get hit with a money judgment against you, you may have a bad faith case against your insurance company.
For example, if you cause a crash and the person you hit makes a claim against you through your insurance company, your insurance must defend you against that claim. It must also settle the claim for your policy limits if the opportunity arises and the case warrants it. If the insurance company blows its opportunity to settle the case against you — for example if it misses the demand deadline, and then you later get a judgment against you — then you may have a case against your insurance company for the amount of the money judgment.
Protecting Yourself from Bad Faith
To protect yourself from an insurance company’s bad faith, get everything in writing. Furthermore, keep a copy of any correspondence you send or receive. If your insurance company is given the opportunity to settle the case against you within your policy limits, demand (in writing) that they pay it.
Our Approach to Bad Faith Claims
Our philosophy towards insurance companies is that they will do everything they can to pay out as little as possible. As such, we take a similar approach to getting you as much money as possible. We hold insurance companies to their promises and will be in the case together with you. If your insurance company is acting in bad faith, please call our firm. We can help.