Good Faith Claims Handling

Subscribe to Good Faith Claims Handling

If your home was burglarized, would you sit back and do nothing? No. You would likely call the police or law enforcement to report the burglary, and hope they find your stolen property. If the police arrested the person who stole your property, would you let that person off without punishment, accountability, and repayment for your stolen property? Hopefully not – you would hold them accountable because they violated the law, and took something that belonged to you – they deprived you of your property that you worked hard to earn and purchase.

So why wouldn’t you hold the insurance company, adjusters, or other insurance personnel accountable if they violate the law? Maybe you didn’t know that you could, but you can, which is why its incredibly important to know your rights under the Texas Insurance Code.…
Continue Reading Texas Hail Claims – Know Your Rights Under Chapter 541 of the Texas Insurance Code

I often get calls from potential clients that have filed a claim with their insurance and have been enraged by an insurance agent or adjuster assigned on the claim. Many potential clients say something like “I just wanted to get the claim settled but the adjuster was acting in bad faith and just wouldn’t listen.” Most states have some case law or consumer protection laws that apply to an insurance company, but not all apply to the insurance personnel you deal with. The Supreme Court of Washington will soon decide this issue for members of the Evergreen State.…
Continue Reading Is an Adjuster Independently Liable for Bad Faith Conduct?

Merlin The Moose is a client favorite at the Chicago Merlin Law Group office. We won him at a charity auction last year. He also led me to some creative research uncovering a problem with market conduct studies and the transparency of property insurance claims procedures many insurers keep hidden from their customers and insurance regulators.…
Continue Reading Property Insurance Claims Procedures Should Be Transparent and Uncovered in Market Conduct Studies

In a recent op-ed article published in the Star Ledger, Rutgers Law Professor Jay Feinman debunked the myth that insurance companies have been using for decades to prevent good faith claims handling bills from passing through the legislature. As Feinman noted, insurance companies argue that the Insurance Fair Conduct Act (IFCA) is unnecessary and would be harmful, suggesting the bill would dramatically raise insurance premiums.…
Continue Reading Rutgers Law Professor Debunks Notion of Increased Premiums With New Jersey Fair Conduct Act

Rene Sigman (Head of Texas Litigation)
Larry Bache (Twin Brother to Justin Timberlake)

Insurance companies routinely argue for immunity from their wrongful actions because acts of their customers are not perfect following a loss. Policyholders are not claims specialists. Policyholders generally are not in the insurance claims business much less the civil litigation business which the insurance industry is the number one participant by far.…
Continue Reading Insurance Companies Must Perform in Good Faith Regardless of Their Customer’s Imperfect Actions

Insurance Companies can breach the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing by failing to pursue adjustment of the claim with reasonable diligence. This means that both insured and insurance companies must pay close attention to the company’s diligence (or lack thereof) in handling a claim.…
Continue Reading Dilatory Claims Handling Alone Can Constitute “Bad Faith” by the Insurer in California

My older son Mason (who will be four years old this December) is learning about the Golden Rule in his preschool class. It got me thinking about whether claims people believe there is a place for the Golden Rule in claims adjusting? Can you honestly sit and reflect on claims you handle and state definitively that you are treating others how you would like to be treated if you were in their shoes?

…
Continue Reading Is There Room For Golden Rule-Like Thinking In Claims Adjusting?