Insurance Bad Faith in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC are insurance bad faith lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida who help individuals who have had their insurance claims wrongfully denied. Not all insurance claims denials are bad faith denials. Sometimes insurance companies don’t have the information they need and sometimes insurance companies need more information in order to approve a claim. However, when an insurance company wrongfully delays a claim to try to get a person to settle for less, when an insurance company wrongfully denies a claim without a valid reason, or when an insurance company fails to honor the terms of a person’s insurance policy, this could be insurance bad faith. Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC are insurance claim denial lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida who help victims of insurance bad faith seek justice. You may be entitled to pursue a lawsuit to collect on your insurance claim and also may be entitled to additional damages under the law if your insurance company acted in bad faith.

What is Insurance Bad Faith?

When you purchase insurance, you pay your premiums with the expectation that if you were to suffer a loss, your insurance company will pay your claim. Homeowners purchase homeowner’s insurance to protect them from unexpected losses arising from fire, storm, or from other sudden damage to their home. Homeowners may also purchase insurance to protect them from any lawsuits they might face due to injuries that occur on their premises. Condo associations may purchase insurance to protect the association from unexpected losses arising from storm damage or from a person’s injury on the premises.

However, sometimes insurance companies may put their bottom lines above their obligations to consumers. Insurance bad faith can take many forms. Here are some ways insurance companies might act in bad faith:

• Misrepresentation of your policy language. Insurance policies can contain quite a bit of fine print and technical legal language. If an insurance adjuster misrepresents the language of your policy or tells you that something isn’t covered when it is covered, then your insurance adjuster/company may be acting in bad faith. If you don’t fully understand the language of your policy and don’t understand what is covered, consider speaking to Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC, insurance claims lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida today. Our firm can read through your policy, help you understand the fine print, and help you understand your next steps when it comes to fighting insurance bad faith.  Sometimes they may quote the policy but ignore an endorsement that changes the primary policy language that would provide coverage.
• Unreasonable delays. While it can take some time to get an insurance claim approved, insurance companies generally have deadlines by which they must respond to, deny, or approve a claim. For example, in Florida, insurance companies must respond (acknowledge not make a claim decision) to any claim you make within 14 days. Insurance companies must also either deny or approve your claim within 90 days with some exceptions allowed for under the law. If insurance companies fail to respond to your claim or if they fail to approve or deny your claim within 90 days of your reporting your loss, you may have certain rights under the law. Contact Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC, insurance bad faith lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida if your insurance company is wrongfully delaying your claim.
• Making unreasonable demands for proof. Insurance companies may ask you for receipts of items that have been damaged or lost and they may ask you for quotes from contractors. But if your insurance adjuster keeps asking for additional proof or is making unreasonable demands for proof of loss after you have already provided documentation supporting your loss, you may have rights. Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC are insurance claims lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida who understand what is and isn’t standard practice for documenting loss and we can protect your if your insurance company is making unreasonable demands.
• Failing to properly investigate your claim. Insurance companies will often send an adjuster to your home to investigate damages and losses. However, if a homeowner’s insurance company fails to investigate a claim and denies your claim, you may have a case. Contact Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC, insurance claims denials lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida today.
• Failing to reasonably support a denied claim. If your insurance claim was denied, but your insurer didn’t give you a reason for the denial or if you think the reason is invalid, you may have the right to pursue an insurance bad faith lawsuit. Contact Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC, a bad faith insurance lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Our firm can help protect your rights.
• Offering less money than you may deserve for your claim. If your insurance company offers you a settlement that is too low, the insurance company must be able to explain why. If there is no reason why the settlement amount the insurance company is offering is too low, then you may be entitled to make an insurance bad faith claim. Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC are insurance bad faith lawyers who can review your losses, review your policy, and help you fight back to get the best possible settlement permitted under the law.

These are just some of the ways insurance companies can act in bad faith. If an insurance company wrongfully denied your claim or wrongfully offered you a lower settlement than you may deserve, you may have the right to pursue a bad faith lawsuit. If your insurance company acted in bad faith, the insurance company may be responsible for paying you for damages in addition to the amount of money the insurance company may have owed you under the policy. For example, victims of insurance bad faith may be entitled to seek damages for attorney’s fees, economic damages due to delays, emotional distress, and punitive damages.

Dealing with Insurance Bad Faith? Contact an Insurance Claim Lawyer Today

Leader, Leader, & Zucker, PLLC are insurance bad faith lawyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida who may be able to assist you if you are facing a wrongful denial of your insurance claim. Our firm works with homeowners, condo associations, and other victims of insurance denials and insurance bad faith. Contact our firm today to learn more and to begin defending your rights.