Can You Sue an Insurance Company for Bad Faith?
When your property insurance company acts in bad faith and purposefully avoids honoring the terms of your policy, you deserve satisfaction under the law. The simple answer to the question of whether you can sue an insurance company for bad faith practices is, Yes. To learn more about your specific case, take time to speak with an experienced attorney. Every situation is different and deserves careful handling by a team like Louis Law Group, which understands Florida state law.
Some Examples of Bad Faith
After a hurricane or other extreme weather event, a fire, or another catastrophe that results in property damage, your insurance company should swiftly and completely fulfill your claims as outlined in the policy contract you’ve paid for. If they don’t, they could be engaging in bad faith practices. The main criterion involves intention. In other words, if the insurer refuses to investigate your claim, pay you according to contractual rules, offers an excessively low settlement, or violates acceptable business practices and honesty, bad faith exists.
This only holds if your claims are justified and backed up by reasonable evidence. Your legal representation must find that the insurance company intended had to not fulfill the promises made in the policy you paid for. In Florida, bad faith also involves any misrepresentation, omission, or concealment of policy details.
What Can Your Lawsuit Cover?
If your home or other parts of your residential property incur damage specified in your insurance policy, you deserve a quick and fair payment so you can fix your home and get back to your normal life as soon as possible. If the insurance company acts in bad faith, you and your attorney can sue them in court.
Bad faith cases are civil complaints, so the insurance company will not get in legal trouble if you file with an attorney. The primary goal is to get the money you need to repair or replace your damaged property after a storm, fire, vandalism, or another covered issue. Every aspect of cases like these is based on the original insurance policy. This means you can’t get coverage you didn’t initially agree to or pay for, even if the insurance company acts in bad faith.
In general, this will force the insurance company to pay out the money they should have paid in the first place, and potentially more. For example, your attorney might be able to sue for noneconomic losses and even punitive damages in a bad faith case.
If you feel your insurance company misrepresented your policy coverage, has asked for unreasonable proof of damage, unreasonably delayed the settlement process, or otherwise acted in a way that Florida law sees as bad faith, contact Louis Law Group right away. We can help you make sense of the law and determine whether a civil lawsuit makes sense in your case.
Call (954) 676-4179 to speak with the expert lawyers at Louis Law Group about property damage claims and insurance company issues. We also offer an easy online form if you prefer email contact.
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