As a personal injury lawyer in Kansas City with 20 years of experience, nearly every one of my cases involved some kind of insurance dispute. Most of those are disputes with negligent parties’ insurance carriers, but I’ve also handled plenty of disputes directly with insurance companies. These most often come about when your own insurance company refuses to pay a claim. Here are the situations I’ve encountered in my practice where I thought it was necessary to lawyer up in an insurance dispute.
When you’re not sure if you’re covered.
You can buy insurance for almost anything. The most common type of insurance I’ve seen in my practice is car and homeowners’ insurance. Even these two insurance types can cover a great variety of losses. With as many different types of insurance there are, many people are unsure whether some loss is covered. A good insurance dispute lawyer will know who to get and analyze your insurance policy to determine if something is covered.
When your insurance company denies your claim.
If you’re certain a loss or injury is covered by your insurance, but they deny your claim, then you should hire an insurance dispute lawyer. You can oftentimes get your attorney’s fees paid for if you win a wrongfully denied claim. When that’s possible, we often modify our attorney-client fee agreement to take that into account. Besides, the only way to force your insurance company to pay on a claim they should cover is to sue them. A good insurance dispute lawyer will know how to litigate and try an insurance lawsuit.
When your insurance company isn’t offering enough.
This is another common thread among the insurance dispute cases I’ve handled throughout the years: You aren’t getting a fair offer. If they don’t outright deny your claim, you better be sure they’ll nickel-and-dime you. They claim the damaged or lost item, like your case, wasn’t worth as much, or that you’re not as injured as you say. Unless you’re willing to take what they offer, the only way to force your insurance company to pay the right amount in claim is to sue them.
If any of these scenarios apply to your insurance dispute case, please contact MRH Law. As an experienced insurance dispute lawyer, I would be glad to answer any questions you have.