Your insurance company cannot get out of paying a valid claim just by letting the file sit.
When weeks turn into months without a real decision or a payment, the delay starts touching everything else: property repairs, temporary housing, business operations, the other bills that will not wait.
That does not mean every delay is bad faith. Insurance claims can require real investigation, documentation, and time. But California law still requires insurers to investigate claims promptly, stay in communication with policyholders, and make a reasonable effort to settle the claims they owe.
We bring an unusual perspective to these disputes. Before we represented policyholders, we spent more than 20 years working inside the insurance industry, and that experience shows us how claims get evaluated, where files commonly stall, and which questions expose the real reason a payment has not gone out.
| STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA: ACTIVE | 20+ YEARS IN THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY |
A delayed payment can arise from many types of insurance claims. The length of the delay matters, but so does what the insurer has done during that time and whether its handling of the claim complies with California law.
We represent Fresno County policyholders dealing with issues involving:
A legitimate investigation can take time. The insurer should still be able to explain what it is doing, what information it needs, and what is preventing the claim from moving forward.
The Law Doesn’t Wait
You Shouldn’t Either
A delayed insurance payment can put real financial pressure on Fresno policyholders. Repair bills can pile up while a damaged home remains unfinished. Temporary housing costs can continue while a covered loss keeps you out of your home. A business may lose income while it waits for repairs, equipment, or other property needed to reopen.
California law also gives policyholders a basis to challenge certain insurer conduct.
California Insurance Code § 790.03(h) identifies unfair claims settlement practices, including failing to investigate claims properly, failing to respond to communications with reasonable promptness, and failing to make a good-faith effort to reach a prompt, fair, and equitable settlement when liability has become reasonably clear.
Those rules do not turn every delayed payment into bad faith. The circumstances surrounding the delay matter.
We can examine those details and help you determine whether your insurer’s handling of your claim raises a potential bad faith issue. That review can help identify where your claim stalled, what California law required from your insurer, and what options may be available to move your dispute forward.
Insurance disputes are often decided by the record created while the claim was being handled.
That record may include:
Our delayed insurance payments attorneys review that history to help determine whether the insurer actively investigated the loss or allowed the claim to stall without a sufficient reason.
For Fresno policyholders, that review can clarify whether the insurer met its obligations and what legal options may be available next.
We Fight to Rebuild What You Lost.
Your Property. Your Policy. Your Money.
An insurer generally has 40 calendar days to accept or deny your claim after receiving proof of claim, and 30 calendar days to issue payment after a claim is accepted.
If an insurer needs more time to investigate, California law permits an extension, but the insurer is required to notify you in writing and provide updated status reports every 30 days explaining the reason for the delay. Unreasonable delays or failing to provide proper written updates may indicate improper claims handling.
No. A denial means the insurer has made a coverage decision. A delayed claim may involve an insurer that has not yet made a decision or has accepted the claim but has not issued the payment. The legal issues can differ, which is why the reason for the delay matters.
An insurer can request information that is reasonably necessary to investigate a claim. Problems can arise when requests become repetitive, unnecessary, or appear to be prolonging the investigation rather than advancing it. The claim history can help determine whether the requests were part of a legitimate investigation or contributed to an unreasonable delay.
Not necessarily. A delay alone does not establish insurance bad faith. The insurer’s conduct must be evaluated in context, including the complexity of the claim, the information available to the insurer, the reason for any additional investigation, and how the insurer communicated with you.
Delayed and bad faith insurance claims over $35,000 in Fresno County are filed as unlimited civil cases at the B.F. Sisk Courthouse in downtown Fresno. Smaller claims move through the same civil division on a shorter track.
Insurance disputes can raise issues that depend on the policy, the claim history, and the insurer’s conduct. If you have a question that was not addressed here, contact Shaver Legal, APC to discuss your situation and get a clearer understanding of what may apply to your claim.
You should not have to face unnecessary obstacles to receive the policy benefits you paid for.
If your insurer has failed to issue a timely decision or payment, our Fresno delayed insurance payments attorneys can examine your claim timeline, assess the justification for the delay, and help provide clear insight into whether your carrier is fulfilling its legal obligations.
Contact our office today to schedule a confidential consultation and determine the appropriate next steps for your claim.
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