Insurance Bad Faith

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We entrust our livelihood, our future, and our family's security to our insurance companies. In return, we expect, and the law requires, that insurance companies act with good faith in dealing with our insurance needs.

If your insurance company has purposely refused to process your insurance claim in compliance with that standard, you may have a claim for bad faith. Insurance companies are required by law to treat their consumers fairly and this includes payment of claims that are honestly due to the insured. Bad faith insurance law arose because, in the past, insurance companies have mistreated their clients and refused to pay for legitimate claims. Such conduct often hurts the consumer by forcing them to pay unnecessary legal fees or give up on their legitimate case.

Not every act of an insurance company with which you disagree is a basis for a bad faith claim. But when it happens, Ricci~Leopold, P.A. is there to represent those consumers who have been wrongfully denied or mistreated by their insurance carriers.

Nearly all of us have or will purchase some form of insurance. While we assume that the policies will be honored by our insurance company if we need to file a claim, all too often we find this is not the case. It is not unusual for an insurance company to limit or even deny coverage of a claim without proper justification or warning. Unfortunately, these unfair claims or "bad faith" practices are often applied to those policyholders most dependent on the protection promised by the insurance policy.

In 1982, the state of Florida enacted the Florida Unfair Claims Practices Act to protect consumers from insurance companies that do not make good faith efforts to settle claims. Ricci~Leopold, P.A. is uniquely qualified to handle cases that fall under this law. The firm's "bad faith" representation is handled by an experienced group of professionals including paralegal/insurance specialists with extensive experience in insurance claims practices, and an attorney who spent much of his career defending insurance companies in "bad faith" cases. This provides the firm with an in-depth and invaluable understanding of how the opponent thinks and operates in these situations.

The firm has had great success in this area of practice. It was the first in the state to win a major verdict under the Florida Unfair Claims Practices Act and has won many similar cases since.

Insurance Agents' Disputes
Ricci~Leopold, P.A. enjoys a national reputation for successfully representing insurance company general agents, managers and brokers whose "vested" commissions have been withheld by employee or contract terminations, or who have been the victims of age discrimination. Clients have been employed by or under contract with virtually every major life and disability insurance carrier in the nation. Claims have been prosecuted in state and federal courts throughout the United States.

Largest Verdict by Manager
The firm obtained the largest verdict in federal court in Miami in an age discrimination and breach of contract action. The suit was brought by a branch manager of a major disability insurance carrier when he was replaced by a younger man and the company refused to honor its promise to buy out his territory. The judgment is believed to be the largest obtained for a manager against a major insurance carrier.

Policy Limits Misrepresented
After a collision with a drunk driver, a two-year old girl was left with severe brain damage. The innocent owner of the truck that the drunk driver was driving was left unprotected by his insurance company. USAA did not pay their policy limits and protect their insured. Full Story

Overbroad Indemnification Account
As a result of an automobile collision caused by her husband, a Progressive insured was widowed and her nephew was left with permanent brain damage. As the owner of the vehicle, the widow was financially responsible for the damages suffered by her nephew. Unfortunately, Progressive failed to protect her. Full Story

Related Articles:

• Anatomy of an HMO Liability Case
• New Areas of Bad Faith
  The key to understanding insurance bad faith is to first understand good faith.
• Insurance analysis, damage review, bad faith analysis and litigation support for law firms.

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