Reno Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer

If you suspect you’re dealing with an unscrupulous insurance provider, don’t hesitate to involve our bad faith insurance law firm in Reno to hold a corrupt company accountable. When you need justice, Leverty & Associates Law can help. Schedule a free consultation today by calling (775) 322-6636.

When you pay your insurance premiums faithfully, you expect your insurance company to be there when you need them most. Yet too often, carriers delay, lowball, or flat-out deny valid claims, leaving Reno families in a serious financial bind.

At Leverty & Associates Law, our Reno bad faith insurance lawyers have spent more than 40 years holding insurers accountable for breaking their promises to Nevada policyholders.

We understand how draining it feels to fight a multi-billion-dollar insurance company alone. Our family-run firm has been serving Nevada since 1979, and our knowledge of insurance runs deep.

If your insurer is acting unfairly, call our Reno office at (775) 322-6636 today. We see you, we hear you, and we are here to help.

What Is Bad Faith Insurance in Nevada?

Bad faith insurance occurs when an insurance company breaks its legal duty to treat its policyholder fairly and honestly. Nevada’s Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act (NRS 686A.310) sets out specific behaviors that may rise to the level of bad faith. These include misrepresenting policy terms, failing to investigate a claim promptly, or refusing to pay a clearly valid claim.

Every insurance contract carries an implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing. When an insurer violates that covenant, the harm reaches far beyond the dollar amount of the original claim. Policyholders can suffer financial strain, emotional toll, and lost time, all because the company they paid for years decided to put profit ahead of people.

It is important to understand one key point about Nevada law. Only first-party bad faith claims are recognized here, meaning the dispute must be between you and your own insurance company. We focus our practice on first-party cases where your insurer, the one you have paid premiums to, has treated you unfairly.

How We Help Clients Hold Insurance Companies Accountable

At Leverty & Associates Law, we take a different approach than the typical personal injury firm. Insurance companies use complex policy language, internal claim manuals, and stalling tactics to wear policyholders down. Our team has spent decades learning how those tactics work, which is why we can dismantle them in court.

Patrick Leverty earned his LLM (Master of Laws) in Insurance Law, an advanced degree that puts insurance contracts at the center of our practice. We read policies line by line, looking for coverage that other firms miss. In one head-on collision case, we uncovered a hidden $1 million umbrella policy the carrier had been concealing while offering our client a fraction of the value of her real losses.

That kind of digging is what bad faith litigation requires. We pursue full discovery, depose claims adjusters, and bring in industry-trained witnesses when the facts call for it. We hold the carrier’s feet to the fire from start to finish.

We also handle these cases on a contingency basis, so you do not pay attorneys’ fees up front. We only get paid if we recover money for you. If your claim has been denied, delayed, or shortchanged, we will review the policy, the correspondence, and the carrier’s conduct to see whether you have a strong bad faith case.

Common Types of Bad Faith Cases We Handle

Insurance bad faith can touch nearly any policy you own. Over the past four decades, we have built strong knowledge of insurance coverage and claim practices across many lines of insurance.

The bad faith cases we frequently handle include:

• Life insurance denials, where a carrier refuses to pay a beneficiary after a loved one’s death, often pointing to vague application questions.
• Disability insurance disputes, where a long-term disability carrier cuts off benefits despite clear and ongoing medical evidence.
• Homeowners and property insurance claims, including high-value fire and water loss cases over $100,000.
• Commercial property and business interruption claims, where business owners are left without operating funds after a covered loss.
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) bad faith, including cases involving stacked Nevada coverage that carriers try to limit.
• Auto insurance bad faith, such as a denied car insurance claim where the carrier ignores the facts of the crash.

If your situation does not appear on this list, that does not mean we cannot help. Many bad faith claims involve unusual facts, and our team has the depth of insurance knowledge to look at any policy you bring to us. Reach out so we can review what happened.

What Are the Warning Signs of Insurance Bad Faith?

The warning signs of insurance bad faith usually appear in how the carrier communicates and how slowly they move. Most policyholders sense something is wrong long before they know the legal term for it. Trust that instinct, and start gathering your documents right away.

Common red flags include unreasonable claim delays without a clear reason, lowball offers that do not match the policy limits or the value of the loss, and shifting reasons for denial. Carriers also act in bad faith when they fail to investigate properly, demand pointless paperwork, or threaten to cancel your policy after you file a claim.

Some of the most damaging tactics happen in writing. An adjuster may misquote your policy, claim an exclusion that does not actually apply, or pressure you to sign a release before you understand the value of your case.

The Nevada Division of Insurance accepts policyholder complaints, and we often see those complaints used later as helpful evidence in a bad faith lawsuit.

If any of this sounds familiar, save every letter, email, and recorded statement. Then call us so we can review the timeline and explain your options.

What Damages Can You Recover in a Nevada Bad Faith Case?

Damages in a Nevada bad faith case can go well beyond the original amount the insurer should have paid under the policy. Once the carrier crosses the line from a simple contract dispute into tort-level bad faith, the law opens the door to a much wider range of recovery for the policyholder.

Common categories include the full policy benefits the insurer wrongfully withheld, consequential financial losses that flowed from the denial, and compensation for the emotional distress caused by the mishandling of the claim. Attorneys’ fees and pre-judgment interest may also be on the table.

In cases involving fraud, malice, or oppression, Nevada law allows for punitive damages designed to punish the carrier and deter the same kind of conduct in the future. The right mix of damages depends on the policy, the carrier’s conduct, and the actual harm you have suffered.

If you want a clear read on what your case may be worth, call our bad faith insurance attorney for a free, confidential review.

How Can Hiring a Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer Strengthen Your Case?

Hiring a bad faith Insurance lawyer in Reno changes the conversation with your insurance company immediately. Carriers handle thousands of claims, and they know which policyholders have legal support and which do not. Once we appear on a case, the tone of the response often changes.

We do more than send letters. We push for full disclosure of the claim file, internal notes, and reserves that the carrier has set on your case. That information often reveals the gap between what the adjuster told you and what the company actually believed your claim was worth.

In a long-running Truckee Canal flood case, for example, we represented homeowners after a canal broke and flooded 580 homes in the Reno-Sparks area. The developer’s insurance company refused to defend, claiming an “earth movement” exclusion that did not fit the facts.

We had the developer assign their rights to the homeowners, then sued the carrier for breach of contract, bad faith, fraud, malice, and oppression. That case showed how a creative legal strategy can recover compensation, even when the at-fault party itself has no money.

Why Choose Leverty & Associates Law?

We are a multi-generation, family-run firm rooted in Nevada since 1979. While many personal injury firms touch bad faith now and then, insurance law is the bedrock of our practice. That focus shows up in the way we read policies, prepare cases, and confront insurance carriers across Reno, Sparks, and the wider Truckee Meadows.

Clients choose us because of what sets our team apart:

• More than 40 years serving Nevada, with offices in Reno and Las Vegas and licensure across Nevada, California, and Washington.
• A combined 100 years of legal experience, including Patrick Leverty’s LLM in Insurance Law and his board certification in personal injury law by the Nevada Justice Association.
• More than $150 million recovered in claims and compensation for our clients.
• More than 1,000 satisfied clients, many of whom return to us or refer friends and family.
• Deep regulatory roots, including founder Gene Leverty’s prior role as Deputy Insurance Commissioner of Nevada and his ongoing service on the State Bar of Nevada Board.

Our clients describe us as caring, attentive, and hard working. When you call our office, you reach a real attorney who is ready to listen and act on your behalf. Call our Reno office at (775) 322-6636 to talk through your case.

FAQs Answered by a Reno Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer

Below are answers to some of the questions Nevada policyholders most often ask us about bad faith insurance cases.

How long do I have to file a bad faith insurance lawsuit in Nevada?

Nevada gives policyholders a limited window to bring a bad faith claim, and the deadline depends on the type of case and policy involved. Contract-based claims and tort-based bad faith claims may follow different statutes of limitations. The safest step is to call us as soon as you suspect bad faith, so we can review the dates that apply to your specific facts.

Can I sue my insurance company for emotional distress?

Yes, in many bad faith cases, you can pursue damages for emotional distress along with the original policy benefits. Nevada law recognizes that when an insurer violates the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, the harm to the policyholder is not just financial. We document the emotional toll carefully, often working with your treating providers, so the full impact is part of your case.

What does it cost to hire a Reno bad faith insurance lawyer?

We handle bad faith cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorneys’ fees up front. We are only paid if we recover money on your behalf. That structure lets families take on large carriers without putting more financial strain on the household.

Is third-party bad faith allowed in Nevada?

No, Nevada law recognizes first-party bad faith only, meaning the lawsuit must be brought by the policyholder against their own insurance company. If you were hit by a vehicle and the at-fault driver’s insurer treated you unfairly, that situation is not a Nevada bad faith claim, although other legal claims may still apply.

What evidence do I need for an insurance bad faith case?

Save every document related to your claim, including the full policy, your application, claim correspondence, adjuster letters, recorded statement transcripts, and proof of your losses. Notes about phone calls, including the dates and the names of the people you spoke with, are also valuable. We can request the rest, including the carrier’s internal claim file, once we open your matter.

Do you handle bad faith cases outside of Reno?

Yes, we serve clients throughout northern Nevada, and we also handle insurance disputes in Las Vegas and across the state. Patrick Leverty is licensed in Nevada, California, and Washington, which helps with cases involving tourists, cross-border commuters, or policies first issued in another state.

What if my insurance company already paid part of my claim?

A partial payment does not waive your right to pursue a bad faith claim for the rest. Carriers sometimes pay a portion to make the file look reasonable while still denying the full amount owed under the policy. We look at the total picture, including what was paid, what was withheld, and how the carrier reached that decision.

Talk to Our Reno Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers Today

If your insurance company has denied, delayed, or shortchanged your claim, you do not have to face them alone. Our Reno bad faith insurance lawyers have built our reputation on doing the unglamorous, grueling work that insurance litigation truly demands. We read the policies, push for the documents, and stand with our clients for as long as it takes to seek a fair result.

We invite you to call Leverty & Associates Law for a free, no-pressure conversation about your case. Reach our Reno office at (775) 322-6636 or send us a message through our website. We look forward to hearing your story and explaining how we may be able to help your family move forward.