Practice Areas – Insurance

Insurance companies have a number of obligations under the law. These laws are complex but basically say that an insurance company should live up to the promises made in its insurance policy, act in good faith, obey the statutes and regulations that apply to insurance companies, and make reasonable efforts to settle claims when liability is reasonably clear.

Sometimes insurers live up to all of their obligations. However, we see many cases where insurance companies act improperly. They may cut off the payment of medical bills following a collision for no good reason. They may refuse to investigate claims, refuse to fairly evaluate those claims, or fail to make reasonable efforts to settle claims when liability is reasonably clear. We have on more than one occasion seen insurers refuse to offer to pay $100,000 to settle claims when we later took those claims to trial and obtained verdicts in excess of $3,000,000.00. We have on many occasions reviewed cases handled by other lawyers who did not appreciate the benefits to their clients of making the insurance companies live up to their obligations under the law.

Fighting insurance companies is tough. When you allege that they have acted in bad faith insurance companies fight even harder. DawsonBrown^PS attorneys have experience with insurance bad faith claims.

When the harm is death, disfigurement, or disabling injury, the ultimate settlement or jury verdict should be substantial. Collecting that settlement or verdict is one way to help the catastrophically injured person put their life back together. Often insurance is the only way that the verdict or settlement will be paid.

But insurance law is complex and fact intensive. Sometimes determining what insurance coverage will apply is counterintuitive. Sometimes insurers are less than candid about disclosing what insurance coverage actually applies to a specific claim, or may even fail to admit that an insurance policy exists. Sometimes a significant factual investigation must be done before it can be determined what insurance coverage will apply. We have seen quite a few times over the years where even experienced lawyers have not uncovered all the insurance that applies to a specific claim. When a death or severe injury has occurred it is extremely important that all the insurance coverage that applies to the claim is uncovered, and the proper benefits paid.

DawsonBrown^PS attorneys have experience with insurance coverage claims.

Underinsured Motorist Claims

When you are struck by somebody who has no insurance, or their insurance is inadequate to pay for the harm that they caused, then you may have an underinsured motorist claim. Underinsured motorist claims can present significant issues relating to who has coverage, under what insurance policy, and how will the claim be resolved. These cases can be resolved in an underinsured motorist arbitration, or in a jury trial. There is a significant body of precedents that apply to underinsured motorist claims.

DawsonBrown^PS attorneys have experience with underinsured motorist claims.