When your legitimate insurance claim is denied, it can leave you feeling hopeless and uncertain of what you can do about it, especially when the claim was for a substantial amount. While insurance companies may act like this is the end of the process, it often isn’t. A Riverside bad-faith denied insurance claims lawyer can help you navigate a wrongful denial, potentially filing a civil claim for bad faith and recovering more than you are owed from your initial claim.
You don’t have to deal with an unreasonable insurance company alone. Shaver Legal, APC, can address your insurance company on your behalf, protecting your rights and fighting for the financial recovery you are owed. We have a deep understanding of the many tactics that insurance companies use to deny, delay, and underpay genuine claims. Our firm can help you assess the ideal way to get the financial support you need.
We understand state bad-faith denied insurance claim laws and the ways that insurance companies try to avoid these laws. Our attorneys are persistent in supporting your interests. If an insurer is acting in bad faith, we gather the evidence needed to make a strong civil case.
An estimated 93.2% of the population in the city of Riverside had health insurance in 2024. About 490,000 homeowners in Riverside County carried fire insurance, and over 47,000 carried earthquake insurance.
Homeowners and business owners in Riverside have seen injuries and property damage from hazards like the Airport fire in 2024 and Tropical Storm Hilary in 2023. Insurance coverage is meant to provide some level of financial support and peace of mind when dealing with sudden emergencies and natural disasters.
These emergencies can cause financial losses that the average individual and family can’t handle, and people like you rely on insurance to cover what it promised to. When companies don’t uphold their side of an insurance contract, it can be devastating.
Insurance companies are legally required to engage in good faith in California, including by balancing the policyholder’s interests with the company’s interests. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. Insurance companies often place their profits at the forefront at the expense of the benefits they agreed to give policyholders.
There are many ways that an insurance company can deny a claim that may indicate bad faith:
When your insurance claim is denied in bad faith, it can cost you a lot. Not only do you not receive the compensation you need to repair your life and move forward, but the denial can incur other costs. It can cause emotional stress, suffering, and require you to turn to other options to financially recover. Paying out-of-pocket for what should have been covered can lead to many other financial issues in your life.
By filing a civil claim against the insurance company, you can recover both the initial payment you were owed and the cost of other damages. This may include the cost of attorney’s fees, court costs, and other economic damages you had to incur to address the wrongful denial. It may even include punitive damages in cases of extreme recklessness and malice.
You can fight a denied insurance claim by first appealing to or disputing the denial with a claim manager or another party in the insurance company. Always check the specifics of your policy before doing so. The Consumer Communications Bureau at the California Department of Insurance can also conduct a review to determine if the denial was fair. It’s also helpful to hire a bad-faith denied insurance claims lawyer to fight denials done in bad faith.
You are more likely to prove an insurance company acted in bad faith when you work with an experienced insurance claims lawyer. You have to show that the damage was covered by your policy, but the legitimate claim you made was denied.
Generally, you must also show that the insurance company denied the claim despite knowing that the damage was covered or that this is standard business practice for the company. An attorney helps you navigate these complexities.
A: It can be difficult to win a bad-faith claim against an insurance company, but it will depend on the specifics of your case and the supportive evidence you have. It will be easier if you have documentation of your claim, all correspondence, and the denial. It is easier to win a bad-faith claim with an attorney who understands the tactics used by insurers, knows when those tactics become bad-faith actions, and helps you navigate civil court.
You need to work with a bad-faith insurance claims lawyer for a denied claim in California to evaluate your insurance policy and assess whether the denial was unreasonable or in bad faith. Your lawyer can take steps prior to filing a civil claim, such as dealing directly with your insurer. If a civil claim is needed to recover full damages and the harm caused by the bad-faith denial, then your attorney can advocate for you in court.
Insurance companies are especially likely to deny claims that are of a high value. At Shaver Legal, APC, we can provide you with essential resources and legal advice to deal with a claim denial. Contact us for a free consultation.