What This Page Covers:
- Insurance Obligations: California law mandates insurers act in good faith, ensuring policyholders receive entitled benefits and coverage. This legal protection prevents insurers from unfairly denying or delaying claims and interfering with your contractual rights after an incident.
- Bad Faith Indicators: Indicators of bad faith include delays or denials of valid claims, low settlement offers, lack of communication, inadequate investigation, and misrepresentation of policy terms. Recognizing these tactics helps protect your rights.
- Recoverable Damages: Victims of bad faith may recover out-of-pocket costs, unpaid policy benefits, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and legal fees. In severe cases, courts may award punitive damages to penalize the insurer.
- Legal Support: Callahan & Blaine has 40 years of experience and a 29-lawyer team that provides comprehensive support, negotiating on your behalf to secure the compensation you deserve.
- Contact us at (714) 241-4444 or through our contact form to discuss your legal options and protect your interests.
Many people and businesses purchase insurance to protect them in the event of accidents, fires, injuries, and other incidents. While you may think your insurance company has your best interests in mind and will help make you whole after an accident, they often deny claims, offer you a lowball settlement, or delay payments for months or years. At Callahan & Blaine, we understand these tactics and when insurers act in bad faith.
We understand the financial challenges you face when dealing with an insurance company that does everything possible to undermine your personal injury claim, so we fight tirelessly for maximum compensation and allow you to focus on recovery. With our 40-year legacy and a robust team of 29 experienced lawyers, we have achieved unprecedented results for our clients, including the insurance bad faith judgment in Orange County history, worth $58 million. Therefore, you can trust us to support you every step of the way with our unmatched services.
What Is Insurance Bad Faith?
According to California law, all contracts between insurance companies and policyholders must contain an “implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing” clause. This means insurers must act in good faith and cannot interfere with the policyholder’s rights per their contract. These rights include receiving benefits for covered injuries and risks, defense against third-party claims, and proper liability investigations. If an insurer fails to meet these obligations, you may file a bad faith claim.
Some common examples of insurers acting in bad faith include the following:
- Unreasonable delays or refusals to settle your claim
- Refusing to pay a valid claim
- Limiting payments
- Refusing to communicate with you about your claim
- Failing to conduct a proper investigation
- Misrepresenting facts of the claim and policy coverage
When proving your insurance company acted in bad faith, we thoroughly investigate the issue and gather evidence, such as correspondence between you and the insurer, a record of phone calls made, and medical bills to demonstrate your injuries and damages, to prove they withheld a benefit in your policy with unreasonable cause.
What Damages Can You Recover for Your Irvine Insurance Bad Faith Claim?
If your insurance company unfairly withholds your settlement, denies your claim unreasonably, or fails to communicate with you about your claim’s status, you may have suffered extensive losses that deserve recognition. Our dedicated lawyers at Callahan & Blaine take the time to understand how your insurer’s actions have impacted your life and calculate your claim’s value, which may include the following expenses:
- Costs you had to pay to a third party
- Costs you paid that your policy should have covered
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Legal fees to obtain your benefits
- Costs to defend a lawsuit filed by a third party
In some cases of insurance bad faith, the court will order insurers to pay punitive damages if they engage in severe wrongdoing or egregious behavior. These damages serve as a punishment for the insurer rather than a reward for the victim. We can help you understand if your case warrants punitive damages and how to seek them out.
How Can a Lawyer Help With Your Insurance Bad Faith Claim?
Insurance companies are typically major corporations with large legal teams, making them intimidating to face, especially when you are injured. Therefore, contacting a trusted, experienced attorney as soon as possible is essential to stand up against your insurer and give you the best chance of achieving the justice you deserve.
At Callahan & Blaine, we set ourselves apart from other firms in the following ways:
- Insurance Knowledge: Our managing partner, Edward Susolik, is one of the nation’s leading insurance experts, having handled over 1,500 mediations in 33 years. This uniquely positions our team to create innovative solutions for your insurance bad faith claim.
- Trial Experience: We are trial lawyers at our core, so we are fully prepared to take your insurance bad faith claim to court and present it to a judge and jury.
- Comprehensive Support: We provide high-quality, comprehensive legal services, handling every aspect of your claim with the utmost care and taking your legal burdens off your shoulders.
- Record Breakers: With our extensive knowledge, experience, and unmatched services, we have obtained record-breaking settlements for our clients, including the largest jury verdict in Orange County history, worth $934 million.
Our tenacious lawyers are unafraid to face major companies and manage high-value cases, like insurance bad faith claims. We understand your worries when facing uncommunicative or unfair insurers, so we negotiate on your behalf with a personalized strategy tailored to your needs and circumstances.
Contact Callahan & Blaine Today About Your Irvine Insurance Bad Faith Claim
Dealing with an insurance company that denies your rightful claim, delays payments, or offers you a lowball settlement can be stressful. You trusted them to have your back in times of need, but now they are turning their back on you. With the help of Callahan & Blaine’s 29-lawyer team, you do not have to handle this alone. With a 40-year legacy and a large team of experienced trial lawyers, we have the expertise and dedication needed to tackle complex insurance bad faith claims.
We proudly offer California victims comprehensive support, managing every aspect of a case with care, which allows victims to focus on recovery. Our track record speaks for itself, with our team securing multi-million dollar settlements for our clients. Trust us to negotiate on your behalf and fight for the compensation you deserve. Contact Callahan & Blaine today at (714) 241-4444 or through our contact form.
