When Your Insurance Company Acts In Bad Faith, You Have Rights

When an insurance company improperly denies a claim or otherwise treats its policyholders unfairly, it is breaking the law. Such wrongdoing is typically called “insurance bad faith.”

If you have been the victim of this in Oklahoma or the surrounding states, call Mansell, Engel & Cole. We have been helping clients fight for their rights since 1994. With a highly respected reputation for results, we won’t rest until you receive just compensation from the insurance carrier that is responsible for paying for your damages.

We Have The Skill To Handle All Your Concerns

You have the right to take legal action against an insurance provider that has acted in bad faith toward you. We can help. With more than 100 years of combined experience, our lawyers have the in-depth knowledge to resolve:

• Insurance coverage denials – If your insurance carrier denied coverage under a specific policy, you may have grounds to file a claim and seek compensation.
• Underpayment claims – You have options when an insurance provider fails to pay you the full amount of money that you are owed.
• Delay of payment – Insurance companies that fail to compensate policyholders in a reasonable amount of time could be held liable for damages.
• Refusal to defend – You pay your premiums with the assumption that your insurance company will come through and protect you during a time of need. If you are a policyholder in good standing, but your provider has refused to defend and cover you, you can take legal action.

Mansell, Engel & Cole handles denied claims and disputes involving many different types of insurance, including:

Get Answers To Common Questions About Denied Insurance Claims

The first thing we do during a consultation with a potential or new client is to listen carefully while gathering information. In these conversations, we often receive questions such as the following. We do our best to answer and explain how we can help people overcome denials and undervalued claims payouts.

Why do insurance companies deny claims?

At the core, a denial comes from the opposing purposes of policyholders and their insurers.

As a homeowner after a tornado or someone with a cancer diagnosis, you naturally need and expect your homeowners insurer or health insurance provider to cover the costs of your property loss or medical bills.

The insurer, on the other hand, has goals to protect its resources by paying out as little as possible for claims. Insurers typically invest heavily in legal and logistical support to help them find excuses not to pay. They may insist that:

• You or your property was not covered at all through the policy you believed was in effect.
• The particular loss – such as wind, hail or earthquake damage – was excluded from coverage in your policy, possibly because of a preexisting medical condition or preexisting property damage.
• Your policy was not valid because one or more premiums were allegedly paid late in the past.
• You did not file a properly documented claim within the statute of limitations for making claims.
• You were already partially compensated by government aid, a settlement you received from another company or insurer, and your own insurance company allegedly has the right to reduce benefits accordingly.

These are just a few of the tactics that our clients’ insurance companies often use to avoid paying our clients what they deserve after a loss event.

What is the role of an attorney in insurance claims?

An experienced lawyer brings valuable insights because they have typically encountered the usual denial tactics many times before, and they know how to overcome them. An attorney can also relieve you and your family of burdens at a time when you are under a great deal of stress. At Mansell, Engel & Cole, we can gather evidence, document claims, interact with appropriate individuals and organizations on your behalf, and otherwise leave you in peace to focus on your family and your mental health after a tornado or any event that results in injury or property loss for you.

How can I dispute a rejected insurance claim?

You will be ahead of the game if you can “do your homework” right away after an incident that damages your property. What we mean by homework is the gathering of evidence that you may have access to right afterward, including:

• Photos and videos of the damage event (such as a storm or news reports describing it)
• Close-up views of the damage, such as a separation between your roof and walls that was not there before a storm
• Pictures and reports of similar damage to your neighbors’ homes (to demonstrate that your home’s damage was not a fluke or possibly preexisting)
• A copy of your insurance policy
• Financial records demonstrating that your insurance premiums were paid up

Even if you cannot assemble these things right away, it is in your best interests to contact an insurance claims attorney promptly. Some people assume they can make a damage claim themselves, only to discover the many ways that their insurance company can deny or undervalue a claim. If we work with you, we can help you get all the evidence you need in order, ready to present in settlement conferences, mediation, arbitration or a trial.

We Help Uphold Those Rights For Clients Across Oklahoma – Contact Us Today

We offer free consultations to potential clients as well as to other lawyers who realize they need additional legal support while helping their clients overcome denied insurance claims. We often work as co-counsel in such cases at no additional cost to clients.

Call our Oklahoma City attorneys at 405-212-5921 or contact us online.