I Believe My Insurer is Acting in Bad Faith Concerning My Camp Fire Claim

The moment you sign on with an insurance company, you expect that they will take care of you and support you after something drastic has happened and caused turmoil in your life unexpectedly. In the tragic event of a wildfire, you expect that your insurance company will help you compensate for a variety of aspects that were not your own fault. In November 2018, many California citizens fell victim to the Camp Fire that took the lives of 86 people and injured many more, as well as burned entire homes and businesses to the ground.

After such a tragedy, you don’t need any more bad news, which is why it is imperative to get started on your insurance claim as soon as possible after the Camp Fire has caused you and your family harm. But what happens if you believe that the insurance company is being unfair with your claim?

After a wildfire, insurance companies might try to pull certain tricks to keep from paying out claims that would otherwise be valid claims. Over the course of history after many wildfires and other events, insurance companies have refused to pay and ended up getting sued by those who are in desperate need of insurance money to move forward during one of the most devastating times in their lives.

In many claims involving bad faith, insurance companies will pretend that there were sudden changes in their policies that keep you from the amount of money you deserve or were promised when you signed the papers to your initial policy. Today we want to take a closer look at bad faith insurance claims and how you can move forward if you believe that an insurance company has acted in bad faith.

Bad Faith Tactics from Insurance Companies

From the moment that you decide to work with the insurance company of your choosing, they are expected to back you. This means that they owe you a duty of care to act in good faith and it is their responsibility to pay your claim as promised. If they do not do so, then they have acted in bad faith and could be held responsible for what comes after. For instance, if you believe that a thorough investigation was supposed to take place but they have not done so, the insurance company might have acted in bad faith. Here are some ways that insurance companies act in bad faith when it comes to insurance claims:

Failing to Properly Process Your Claim: One example of an insurance company acting in bad faith is when they fail to properly process your claim in a timely manner. Perhaps the insurance company you have been working with after the wildfire has said that they will work in a timely fashion to ensure that you receive results but instead has been taking their time and putting you through the wringer. Maybe the insurance company has not been working to verify your losses, has not gotten started on investigating your claim, and has not appraised the number of losses to recoup, and so you feel as if you are sitting in limbo. This is no way to treat an insured individual. 

Lack of Investigation/Not Thorough Enough: Insurance companies sometimes fail to conduct an investigation into your claim. Perhaps they have sent you a denial but you know that nobody has come to take a look at your damages following the Camp Fire. Legally, in a certain amount of time, an investigator must come out to take a look at the damage and go back to the insurance company with results so that you can find out how much they owe you. 

Delays in Payment: One of the most prevalent examples of bad faith is when an insurance company delays paying you what they owe you. Perhaps you have sustained damages due to the wildfire, filed your claim, and even a year later, you are in the same position, struggling to get back on your feet because you have never received any answers about your payment. Insurers only have a certain amount of time until it is considered bad faith.

Unreasonably Denying Your Claim: You know that your claim is valid because you are up-to-date on payments and the insurance company has promised to investigate your claim and pay for your damages. However, you still receive a denial in the mail without any good reason for them doing so. This could constitute bad faith and an insurance company who just doesn’t want to pay.

Failure to Defend: When it comes time to go to court if this is the route that is taken, the insurance company is supposed to defend your rights at all costs. If you end up in court and an insurance company does not try to protect you or has left you to fend for yourself, this could also constitute bad faith.

If You Have Been Left in a Bad Position 

So what happens if your insurance company has left you in a bad position due to bad faith matters? You might have been left in a bad position after losing everything, from your home or business to receiving injuries or losing a loved one in the Camp Fire. Many people wonder how they can move forward after a wildfire and rely greatly on their insurance company, so you might feel lost when they don’t pull through for you. This is especially true when you believe that they have acted intentionally when denying your claim or failing to protect you.

Our attorneys at Brady Law Group are here to protect you when you feel as if you have been shorted after the wildfire or when you have suffered due to the negligence of another party. Our wildfire accident attorneys are here after you have lost somebody close to you in the Camp Fire, suffered injuries, or other damages that can have a huge impact on your life. Please contact us as soon as possible for more information at 415-459-7300.