When your own insurance company denies a valid claim, a Las Vegas insurance lawyer is the person who can make that decision cost the insurer something. At Leverty Law, insurance is not a sideline we picked up. It is the practice the firm was built around, and it has been our focus for more than two decades.
We represent policyholders across the Las Vegas valley whose insurers have denied, delayed, or underpaid coverage they paid for. If you are holding a denial letter and wondering whether you have any leverage left, call us at (775) 322-6636 for a free consultation with an attorney.
What Does a Las Vegas Insurance Lawyer Actually Do?
An insurance lawyer in Las Vegas steps in after the insurance company has already made a decision you believe is wrong. We do not file your claim for you, and we are not a claim handling service. Our work starts with the denial, the lowball offer, or the delay that will not end.
That distinction matters because the two jobs call for different skills. Getting a claim submitted is paperwork. Getting a wrongly denied claim paid means reading the policy against Nevada law, building a record of what the insurer did, and being genuinely willing to litigate.
Most of our work follows the same arc. We review the policy and the full claim file, identify where the insurer's handling departed from what Nevada requires, and then either resolve the dispute or file suit.
Coverage Disputes We Handle in Las Vegas
Our Las Vegas practice is built around insurance coverage disputes, not personal injury. The policies differ, and so do the tactics insurers use on each one.
- Bad faith insurance. We take over when a Las Vegas insurance company denies or delays your claim in bad faith, whether the policy is property, life, disability, or commercial.
- Property damage. Monsoon wind, hail, water intrusion, and fire losses regularly turn into Las Vegas property damage insurance disputes over scope, depreciation, and cause of loss.
- Disability coverage. We handle long-term and short-term disability insurance claim denials in Las Vegas, including terminations after benefits have already been paid.
- Life insurance. Beneficiaries face rescission attempts, misrepresentation defenses, and contested beneficiary designations at the worst possible moment.
- Business and commercial coverage. Business interruption, commercial property, and liability disputes where a denial threatens the operation itself.
If your dispute does not fit neatly in one of those categories, call anyway. Coverage questions rarely arrive labeled, and a short conversation usually sorts out whether there is something worth pursuing.
Why Las Vegas Policyholders Choose Leverty Law
Most Nevada firms treat insurance bad faith as an add-on to a car accident practice. We built the firm the other way around, and it shows in the cases we are equipped to take.
- Insurance law is the practice, not a sideline. Our managing attorney, Pat Leverty, has worked in insurance law for over 20 years and holds a master's degree in the field.
- Breadth most bad faith practices lack. A lot of Nevada bad faith work stops at uninsured motorist disputes. Ours covers life, disability, property, and commercial coverage, too.
- You talk to an attorney. Pat answers the phone. There is no intake funnel and no case manager standing between you and a lawyer.
- Cross-border perspective. Admission in Nevada, California, and Washington means we see how carriers behave in more than one market.
- A real Las Vegas presence. Our office sits on West Charleston Boulevard, minutes from the Regional Justice Center.
We are also selective, and we would rather say that plainly than waste your time. We take a smaller number of substantial matters so each one gets real attention. If your claim is worth pursuing, we will tell you. If it is not, we will tell you that too. Call (775) 322-6636 to find out which.
How Does Nevada Law Protect Policyholders?
Nevada law requires insurers to handle their own policyholders' claims promptly, fairly, and with a reasonable basis for every decision they make. Two sources carry most of the weight.
The first is NRS 686A.310, Nevada's Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act. It spells out conduct that counts as an unfair practice and makes an insurer liable to its insured for damages that the conduct causes.
Several listed practices come up constantly in the files we review:
- Misrepresenting policy provisions or facts relating to coverage at issue
- Failing to acknowledge and act reasonably promptly on claim communications
- Failing to adopt reasonable standards for investigating and processing claims
- Failing to affirm or deny coverage within a reasonable time after proof of loss
- Failing to promptly explain the policy basis for a denial or a low offer
- Advising an insured not to seek legal counsel
Seeing your own experience on that list is often the moment a policyholder realizes the problem was not bad luck. What felt like disorganization on the insurer's end may have been conduct that the statute already addresses.
The second source is the covenant of good faith and fair dealing that Nevada reads into every insurance contract. Breaching it creates a bad faith claim in tort, which opens the door to damages that a simple breach of contract action would not reach.
Deadlines the Insurer Has to Meet
Timing is not left to the insurer's convenience. Under NRS 690B.012, an insurer generally must approve or deny a casualty claim within 30 days of receiving it, and pay an approved claim within 30 days of approval.
If the company needs more information or more time, it has to say so within 20 days. Approved claims that go unpaid past the deadline can accrue interest. When we see those dates slip without explanation, it goes straight into the file.
What Happens When an Insurance Company Denies or Delays Your Claim?
You have options beyond accepting the decision, and the strongest ones depend on acting while the record is still fresh. Most Las Vegas policyholders we meet have already tried the internal appeal and gotten nowhere.
Many have also filed a complaint with the Nevada Division of Insurance, which investigates claim handling and can pressure a carrier to revisit its position. That step is worth taking, though the Division does not award you damages. That is where a lawsuit comes in.
Bad faith in Nevada runs between an insurer and its own insured. If you are pursuing a claim against another person's insurance company, Nevada does not give you a bad faith action against that carrier, because you are not their policyholder.
What to Gather Before You Call
You do not need a complete file to talk with us, but a few documents make the first conversation far more productive:
- The full policy, including the declarations page and any endorsements
- Every denial or reservation of rights letter you received
- Your claim number and the dates you submitted anything
- Notes on calls, names of adjusters, and promises that were not kept
- Estimates, invoices, or medical records supporting the loss
If you are missing pieces, bring what you have. We can request the rest of the claim file.
Damages Available in a Las Vegas Bad Faith Insurance Case
A bad faith case can reach past the policy limit, which is the single biggest thing insurers do not advertise. What a policyholder may recover generally falls into a few groups.
The first is the benefit itself, meaning the amount that should have been paid under the policy. The second is consequential financial loss, covering what the denial or delay actually cost you while you waited.
Emotional distress damages are recognized in Nevada bad faith actions as well. Punitive damages may be available where clear and convincing evidence shows oppression, fraud, or malice, and under NRS 42.005 Nevada's usual cap on punitive damages does not apply to an insurer acting in bad faith about its coverage obligations.
Interest can also enter the picture on approved claims that the insurer failed to pay on time, which quietly adds up on larger property and commercial losses.
No lawyer can promise any of these in a given case. What we can do is tell you honestly which ones your facts actually support.
Working With Our Las Vegas, Nevada Insurance Attorneys
We want you to know what this looks like before you commit to it. A common assumption is that alleging bad faith makes an insurer pay quickly, when in practice it usually means more of a fight and a longer case.
Insurance companies tend to want one of two things. They want to pay fast for less, or to delay and fight until you give up. Our job is to make sure you fall for neither, and that takes both patience and leverage.
Your role in the case is real, and we say so up front. Coverage disputes depend on documents, timelines, and your own account of what happened, so the clients who do best are the ones who stay engaged with the file.
We also stay candid about value, timing, and risk throughout. The firm has been part of Nevada communities for generations, and we would rather keep a relationship intact than oversell a result. Free consultations are available, and you will speak with an attorney.
FAQs Answered by Our Las Vegas Insurance Lawyer
Here are the questions Las Vegas policyholders ask us most before deciding whether to move forward.
Does Leverty Law handle personal injury cases in Las Vegas?
Our Las Vegas practice is devoted to insurance coverage and bad faith matters. Our personal injury work is handled out of our Reno office, so a Las Vegas caller with an injury matter is better served by asking us directly what we can and cannot take on.
How long do I have to bring an insurance dispute in Nevada?
Deadlines vary by the type of policy, the legal theory involved, and sometimes by a suit limitation clause written into the policy itself. Because those windows can be shorter than people assume, it is worth having the policy reviewed early rather than waiting.
Can I still pursue a dispute if I already accepted a partial payment?
Often yes. Accepting a partial payment does not necessarily close out the rest of the claim, though the paperwork you signed matters a great deal. Bring any release or settlement document you were asked to sign so we can look at its actual terms.
Do you handle commercial and business insurance disputes in Las Vegas?
Yes. Business interruption, commercial property, and liability coverage disputes are a regular part of the practice. These cases often turn on policy language that was never meant to be read by a non-lawyer.
Does hiring a lawyer mean my case will go to trial?
Not necessarily. Many disputes resolve once an insurer understands the file has been properly built and that we are prepared to litigate. We prepare every case as though it will be tried, because that preparation is what creates room to resolve it.
What does it cost to talk with a Las Vegas insurance lawyer?
Nothing. Consultations are free, and there is no obligation to hire us afterward. Bring your policy and your denial letter, and we will give you a straight read on where you stand.
Talk With a Las Vegas Insurance Lawyer Today
An insurance company's denial is a position, not a verdict. If your insurer has denied, delayed, or underpaid a claim you counted on, Leverty Law can review the policy and the handling and tell you honestly what your options are.
Call (775) 322-6636 or reach us through our contact page to set up a free consultation. Our Las Vegas office is at 3100 W. Charleston Blvd., Suite 200, Las Vegas, NV 89102, and our hours are 9 to 5 Pacific.
You paid the premiums. Let us help you find out what the policy actually owes you.