Las Vegas Bad Faith Car Insurance Attorney
When You Need an Auto Insurance Dispute Lawyer to Get Your Money
Imagine this: You’ve been involved in a car accident and had serious damage to your car. This is unfortunate, but luckily you have car insurance, so you’ll be on the road again soon, right? Not if your car insurance company denies your claim.
Sometimes, insurance companies may determine that your claim isn’t covered under your policy. You may be frustrated, wondering how you will pay for the repairs, and probably angry at the insurance company.
If this has happened to you, you may be able to file a lawsuit against your car insurance company for a bad-faith denial. A Las Vegas bad faith car insurance attorney can help.
Leverty & Associates Law specializes in holding insurance companies accountable for bad-faith claim denials. We can help you build a case to recoup the costs of covering your car’s damage and other related expenses. Contact our car insurance claim denied lawyers today at (702) 507-0201 to discuss your claim.
Why Choose Us?
Since 1979, Leverty & Associates Law has been protecting clients just like you from predatory insurance companies. Our 42 years in the business have provided us with a lot of experience in combating some of the tricks and shenanigans that insurance companies will employ to deny or reduce your claim.
But we prefer to let our results speak for themselves. In one case, we settled for $9.3 million on a bad-faith claim that involved an insurance company’s going to trial without their customer’s approval. Then, the insurance company sued our client, claiming she wasn’t driving an insured vehicle.
We were able to recoup the initial claim, $600,000 for emotional distress, and a further $8.7 million in punitive judgment against the insurance company to penalize their bad actions.
When you have an attorney focusing on bad faith insurance claims, you can overcome the dishonest tactics insurance companies use.
How We Can Help
As a client of Leverty & Associates Law, you benefit from our knowledge about how insurance companies operate, how they deny or downplay claims, and the “doublespeak” they may use to confuse people who don’t understand their policies.
We also take over most of the communication between you and the insurer. This is because some of the things you may think are innocent to say can be twisted by the carrier to deny your claim. Even a simple response of “I’m fine” when they ask you, “How are you doing today?” can be seen (by them) as your being unhurt.
We also handle filing all of the paperwork for your claim, making sure that it’s submitted before the Nevada statute of limitations for a bad faith insurance suit expires, which is four years from the date of the bad action by the insurance carrier.
Recognizing Bad Faith Insurance Practices
A Car Insurance Bad Faith Attorney Helps You Get Justice
When you select your car or motorcycle insurance policy, you expect the insurance carrier to deal with you in good faith if you are involved in an accident. In fact, insurance companies are required by law to operate in good faith, called a covenant of fair dealing. Good faith practices by insurance carriers include:
- Paying a reasonable claim in a timely manner
- Ensuring that the claim’s payout is sufficient for the damages
- Conducting a thorough investigation of the accident circumstances
- Communicating often with clients
- Presenting valid reasons in writing if a claim is denied.
If an insurance company doesn’t follow these basic requirements for dealing with its customers, it may be considered to be acting in bad faith. You can spot potential bad faith actions by paying close attention to what your insurance company is doing — and what they aren’t. This includes:
- Delayed or incomplete payments
- A low settlement offer
- Insufficient investigations or procrastination in investigating an accident
- Not responding to your communications
- Denials with no good reason
- The insurance agent or adjustor made mistakes when handling your claim
- Your auto insurance policy is canceled after you file a claim.
These aren’t the only bad faith insurance practices. Unfortunately, many unscrupulous insurance companies are out there, and bad faith can take many forms.
Sometimes, agents may make an honest mistake, but, often, insurance companies that make these kinds of errors and omissions are intentionally acting in bad faith. A car insurance bad faith attorney can give you a better perspective on what is and isn’t bad faith.
You may think that the insurance company is there to protect you because you’re insured. They are not. They are a business, and their business is to make money by paying as little money as possible, as rarely as possible. In fact, some insurance companies have a bonus structure for claims processors that rewards them for saving the company money on customer claims!
Bad faith insurance practices are rooted in the desire for companies to improve their bottom line. This can take precedence over paying their customers the settlement they’re rightfully owed.
When you purchase insurance coverage, you enter into a contractual agreement with the carrier to fulfill their obligation. If they don’t hold up their end of the bargain, you may need services from a bad faith insurance lawyer to get the money you’re entitled to.
Your Bad Faith Car Insurance Attorney Will Stand Up for Your Rights
What You Don’t Know About Your Auto Insurance Policy Could Hurt You
Before starting an insurance claim, you may want to consult with a bad faith insurance attorney. You may not realize this, but anything you say to your insurance adjuster may be construed as a reason for denying your claim or reducing the amount they offer.
However, when you have a car insurance claim denied lawyer, you have a legal advocate who understands the laws regulating insurance companies and has experience fighting for their clients against corrupt insurance companies.
You choose your insurance company with consideration and make sure to pay your premiums on time so that when you need their help, the carrier will come through. But dishonest insurance companies often use predatory or underhanded tactics to minimize valid claims or deny or delay payouts.
How to Determine If You’re in a Bad Faith Situation
If you filed your claim without hiring an attorney but started to suspect something is wrong, it’s not too late to get representation from an auto insurance dispute lawyer.
If your claim was denied, the payout is lower than you need to fix your car and pay your medical bills, or if you’re having a hard time getting hold of the insurance company, then it’s time to contact one of our Las Vegas car insurance claim denied lawyers. We will evaluate your circumstances to determine the issues you’re facing.
Not every denied claim or hard-to-get-hold-of insurance adjuster means the company is acting in bad faith. Our legal team has the knowledge and experience you need to make that distinction, and we can help you get the money you’re entitled to if we find that the insurance carrier is not holding up their end of the coverage contract.
Then, we devise a strategy to hold that insurance company accountable. We may take over communication with the insurance carrier, acting on your behalf. We will also gather evidence to prove that the company isn’t acting in good faith and can appeal your claim with either the insurance company or even take them to court.
A Las Vegas Bad Faith Insurance Attorney Takes Action Against Auto Insurance Companies
Suppose that you decide to take action against your insurance carrier. In that case, it’s best to secure representation from a car insurance bad faith attorney who has previously dealt with shady insurance companies. Once your lawyer looks your case over, you can proceed with your bad faith claim.
If the insurance company is found to be acting in bad faith, then not only will you be awarded the amount for your initial claim, but you may be given further compensation from the judge, such as:
- Statutory penalties, damages that have already been established by a state or federal statute
- Punitive damages, which are financial punishment for the company and a deterrent to keep them from acting like this in the future
- Damages for emotional distress or stress from not having a working vehicle.
If your withheld claim is larger than normal, the judge may impose stiffer penalties on the insurance company, as you suffered more harm than someone with a minor claim.
How We Prove Bad Faith
We Stand Up to Aggressive Insurance Carriers
To prove bad faith, your car insurance claim denied lawyer must first prove that the carrier breached its good faith obligation. At Leverty & Associates Law, we make a case that the company did not have a valid cause to deny your claim, as per your policy, and that they refused to pay the claim as per the terms of their obligation.
While this may seem straightforward, proving a bad faith insurance claim can be complicated. Take a look at your insurance policy. Do you see the vague terms — or can you even read them in such small print? Sometimes, deciding whether your policy covers your claim comes down to interpreting the tricky language.
Luckily, our legal team understands how to interpret this cloudy language and can even use the insurance company’s own vague wording against them.
Frequently Asked Questions About Las Vegas Bad Faith Car Insurance Claim Denials
Although each case is different, many of our insurance bad faith clients share these common questions about their cases.
After an accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, property damage, time missed at work, and emotional trauma. An insurance company — either yours or that of the at-fault party — often pays these claims for the accident. If a bad faith insurance lawyer represents your claim, you benefit from their specific knowledge and litigation experience.
Every set of circumstances is different, and even if it seems that your insurance carrier isn’t acting in good faith, they may not be acting in bad faith. That’s why we offer a free consultation at Leverty & Associates Law to determine whether you have a case.
Sometimes, a case against an insurance company can take weeks, months, or even years, depending on the circumstances. The legal team at Leverty & Associates Law believes that plaintiffs like you shouldn’t have to forgo their legal right to pursue a claim because of prohibitive expenses.
Therefore, we offer a contingency fee arrangement, which means we work with you to determine a percentage of any settlement we win to cover our legal fees. This means you don’t pay until and unless we win your case.
Fighting a bad faith insurance claim in court is usually a last resort. While your Leverty & Associates Law bad faith car insurance attorney is fully determined to fight in front of a judge and jury on your behalf, we will start by working with the insurance carrier to negotiate a settlement or appeal the denied claim.
Sometimes, we will work through mediation. This allows us to see what the insurance company says about your case. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll take the case to trial. If your case goes to court, we are right beside you, ready to answer your questions and explain each step of the process.
Do You Need a Las Vegas Bad Faith Insurance Attorney?
If you’ve had a worker’s compensation claim denied or your car accident claim challenged, we can help. The legal team at Leverty & Associates Law has the experience you need to ensure that your rightful claim is paid.
Don’t try to negotiate with an insurance company on your own. They have lawyers and may fight your appeal. However, you can fight back with a bad faith insurance claim lawyer. Contact us today at (702) 507-0201 for a free consultation about your case.