Wilmington Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer | Wilmington Insurance Denial Lawyer | Denied Claims Attorney

Wilmington Insurance Claims Attorney

If you have been offered an unfair settlement or have had your claim denied by your insurance provider, you may feel helpless to do anything to fight back. A Wilmington bad faith insurance lawyer knows how to deal with these situations and can help make sure that you are not taken advantage of by your insurance company.

Wilmington bad faith insurance attorneys handle cases including:

• Insurance Litigation
• Disability Insurance
• Life Insurance Policies
• Fire Insurance Policy Litigation
• Health Insurance Policy Claims
• Automobile Insurance Claims
• Uninsured Motorist Claims
• Property and Casualty Insurance Coverage
• Homeowners Insurance Litigation
• Accidental Death Policies
• Bad Faith Insurance Claims
• Uninsured - Underinsured Coverage

What is Bad Faith Insurance?

There are a variety of ways in which an insurance subscriber can be mistreated by the insurance company with whom they hold a policy. A claim may be wrongfully rejected, the company may make unreasonably slow payment, the investigation may be improper, or the company may make only partial payment. When any of these things occurs, the insurance company has acted in bad faith. This is a nationwide phenomenon and happens to Wilmington, Ohio, insurance subscribers all the time.

The bottom line is that insurance companies are in the business of making money. Their goal is to accept premiums while paying out on as few claims as possible. Their marketing is designed to induce consumers to buy insurance by selling the notion that the insured will be in good hands, will be taken care of by a strong financial company, and will be dealt with fairly in their time of need. Unfortunately, this is not the case most of the time, and families across the Greater Wilmington area end up suffering financial hardship as a result. Call a Wilmington bad faith insurance lawyer to help you fight back!

Wilmington, OH Bad Faith Insurance Law

In Ohio, an insurer has the responsibility to deal with its insured with a high standard of care. Insurance contracts imply a fiduciary duty flowing from the insurer to the insured. This means that the insurance company must treat the policyholder with a duty of care and loyalty by dealing fairly, honestly, and in good faith at all times. If the insurance company breaches its contract with the policyholder, the policyholder may have a cause of action, which, in Ohio, is called “First Party Bad Faith Litigation.” First Party Bad Faith Litigation includes actions against insurance companies where the company has unjustifiably:

• failed to compensate the insured for loss covered under the policy;
• unreasonably delayed making payments;
• failed to adequately pay a claim; or,
• conducted an improper investigation.

If you are a Wilmington area policyholder and your insurance company has acted in bad faith with regard to your policy benefits, please do not hesitate to contact a Wilmington bad faith insurance lawyer or Clinton County bad faith insurance lawyer today to discuss your case.

What Protections Does Ohio Law Provide Against Abuses by Insurance Companies?

The Ohio Insurance Code requires insurance companies—regardless of the type of coverage provided—to meet certain minimum standards of good faith conduct in their dealings with policyholders.Furthermore, Ohio law defines many other unfair and deceptive acts which are not allowed, including:

• Making false statements;
• Unfair discrimination;
• Refusal to issue policies to certain groups such as the blind or victims of domestic violence.

What Can a Wilmington, OH Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer Do For You?

As noted, Wilmington insurance attorneys who handle bad faith insurance cases represent policyholders in claims against insurance companies that have refused to pay a claim that the insurer may be legally obligated to pay, or have denied an insured’s claim without conducting a proper investigation. When the insurer acts in bad faith, then a Wilmington insurance lawyer can help you get the following legal remedies and damages:

1. Money the insurance company owes you under the policy.
    
2. “Extra contractual” damages or damages outside of and apart from the contract itself.

The Bad Faith Insurance Dilemma

Over the past few years, insurance companies have become bigger, wealthier, and more powerful than ever. They dominate our healthcare system and, in some cases, even impact where we choose to live. One insurance company advertises that it has over $700 billion in assets. Insurance companies obtain this extraordinary wealth by selling policies and collecting premiums, while minimizing payment of claims.

This frequently results in the wrongful denial of claims and bad faith dealing with policyholders, including practices such as failing to respond to claims, or searching for technicalities in the policy that give the insurance company a loophole through which they may avoid making payment. Sometimes insurance companies even affirmatively breach contracts or intentionally abuse their power by bullying policyholders into taking what the insurance company is willing to pay as opposed to the value of a fair settlement. This is something that Wilmington insurance lawyers are all too familiar with, and they can advocate on your behalf if you find yourself in a legal battle with your insurance company. Wilmington and Clinton County injury victims may find themselves facing off with their insurance companies when they are rightfully entitled to the benefits they pay for under their policy, and Wilmington bad faith insurance attorneys are available to help in these situations.

Wilmington insurance lawyers encounter bad faith insurer practices in the following areas:

Disability Insurance - Unum Provident, for example, is notorious for failing to pay claims or raising you one silly little “point” to stall paying you your disability money when you need it the most. There are certain notice requirements that must be met, and there are many medical conditions that are built into the contracts that exclude some coverage. Ohio insurance claims attorneys know the technical terms of contracts, and therefore have the tools to challenge an insurance company’s denial of a claim. This can optimize a policyholder’s chances of recovering money. If you have questions about your disability policy, contact one of the Wilmington disability insurance attorneys listed above today.

Life Insurance Policies - Wilmington insurance lawyers deal with many different types of life insurance policies, such as:

1. Employer provided life insurance policies through group health insurance plans.
    
2. Term policies that have no cash value, but which serve as life insurance, as opposed to investment vehicles. Insurers rarely fail to pay these claims.
    
3. “Whole Life” policies that have cash value, and which are called “whole life policies.”

Like other insurance benefits, life insurance benefits can be wrongfully denied. First, there can be issues as to whether adequate notice was given to the life insurance company. Second, suicide may be excluded, and, finally, there are some forms of employment and recreation that may not be covered.

Insurance companies, without any reasonable basis, may simply cancel a policy when a policyholder is diagnosed with an extreme illness or terminal disease. This happens even after the insured has faithfully paid their premiums to the company. Often, the insurance company will cite a “clerical error” as justification for canceling the policy. In truth, such practices are unconscionable and unethical, bad faith behavior on the part of the insurance companies. If you have been treated in this manner, you deserve compensation and stand to benefit by contacting a Wilmington bad faith insurance attorney.

Similarly, when an elderly person loses their life insurance coverage, they often cannot replace it in an affordable way. Insurance agents may sign a policy cancellation, either directly or indirectly through another party, and allow the policy equity to be sent to someone else. If the insurance policyholder has not been receiving yearly statements from the insurance company, he or she may not even know that there is cash value in the policy and that the policy has been canceled until it is too late.

If your life insurance policy has been wrongfully canceled or if you are having difficulty collecting payment on a life insurance claim, please contact a Wilmington Life Insurance Policy Lawyer today.

Health Insurance Policy Claims - Prior to the adoption of the Obama Health Care Package, denial of health insurance benefits was commonplace in the industry. The insurer simply denied the claim, stating that it was “unreasonable.” They even employed “throw down” doctors to support the company’s opinion that the procedure or treatment was unreasonable. The Obama Health Care Plan strengthened and expanded your legal rights; however, you still need a qualified Wilmington insurance attorney to advise you of those rights and argue on your behalf against the powerful insurance companies.

Auto Insurance Claims

(1) Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist (UM / UIM) Clause Denials: If you have an underinsured or uninsured clause in your auto insurance policy, the insurance company has a duty to compensate you for any loss you have suffered, which is not covered by the insurance policy of the person or entity causing your injury or damage. Insurance companies tend to fight these underinsured / uninsured claims aggressively. In settling the underlying case, it is critical that you understand the implications and consequences of how the settlement may affect the underinsured or uninsured claim against your insurance company.

The Ohio Supreme Court’s rulings have basically rendered your UM/UIM coverage worthless in most situations. Under most automobile policies, UIM coverage is not effective unless the other driver is “uninsured,” as defined in the policy, and until you, the injured party, become legally entitled to the benefits. These are words of art with huge importance. This language in the policy means, in Ohio, that you are not entitled to recover uninsured benefits or underinsured benefits UNTIL AFTER YOU HIRE AN ATTORNEY, FILE A LAWSUIT AGAINST THE UNINSURED-UNDERINSURED DRIVER, AND GO TO TRIAL AND PROVE IN COURT THAT THE OTHER DRIVER WAS AT FAULT AND THAT YOUR DAMAGES EXCEED THE OTHER DRIVER’S POLICY LIMITS. These are stringent requirements and can make recovery after an auto accident very difficult unless you get the help of a Wilmington auto insurance lawyer who knows how to navigate the system.

(2) Property Damage Claims: Imagine if you saved $100.00 a thousand times each day … what would that equal? It would equal a lot of money. That is what insurers are doing when making low-ball offers to their policyholders to settle their property damage claims. This is the type of behavior you can expect from an insurance company. The company is not looking out for your best interest, as required by the company’s fiduciary duty to policyholders under Ohio law. Rather, they are purely focused on how much money they can make and they do this by fighting you tooth and nail for every cent you are entitled to under your policy. Fight the insurance companies back by hiring an experienced Wilmington insurance attorney to represent you in your property damage claim. Contact one of the qualified Wilmington insurance attorneys listed on this page today for a free initial consultation.

Personal Injury Lawyers Serve Wilmington and Surrounding Cities

Serving clients throughout Southwestern Ohio, including Beavercreek, Carlisle, Centerville, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Delhi, Fairborn, Fairfield, Florence, Forest Park, Gahanna, Goshen, Hamilton, Highland Heights, Hillsboro, Huber Heights, Independence, Kettering, London, Mason, Miami Heights, Middletown, Mount Orab, New Moorefield, Norwood, Pickerington, Piqua, Reynoldsburg, Springfield, Trotwood, Upper Arlington, Urbana, Westerville, Wilmington, Xenia, and other communities in Clinton County.

Call now to speak with a qualified Clinton County bad faith insurance attorney today.