Bad faith is used to refer to the intentional or malicious refusal to perform a duty or contractual obligation or to cause fraud or deception.
Unfortunately, insurance claim adjusters often find their hands tied — limited by restrictive claims processing guidelines designed to cut costs and increase profits for the insurance company. In these cases, adjusters have neither the authority nor the support to timely and fairly process a claim. Insurers may use various tactics to avoid prompt or full payment, or to justify a claim denied — even to the point of engaging in bad faith claim practices.
Insurance bad faith practices can include:
Refusal to investigate claims thoroughly, properly, and in a timely manner
Unreasonable delay in payment / slow payment, or stall tactics
Refusal to pay the full value of a claim
Unreasonable claim denials
Unreasonable interpretation of policy language
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If you feel you may be the victim of bad faith, contact FPJL today for a free consultation.