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Insurance Lawyer Rapid City, SD

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An insurance lawyer Rapid City, SD residents trust is a legal professional who deals with matters related to insurance laws and insurance regulations. If you are currently experiencing issues with your insurance company, a lawyer may be able to help. Here are some good reasons to hire an insurance lawyer.

Your Insurance Company Has Denied Your Claim

When you pay monthly premiums to protect your home or vehicle against damage, you expect your insurance company to make the necessary payouts. Unfortunately, however, it isn’t always that simple. Insurance companies are in the business of making money and may sometimes unjustly deny claims to grow their profits. However, if your claim gets denied for no legitimate reason, it’s illegal. You don’t have to stand for the type of treatment. 

If you are in good standing with your insurance company and they keep throwing hurdles your way, you should consult an insurance lawyer promptly.

Your Insurance Company Is Delaying Payment

States set limits that require insurance companies to resolve claims within a certain period of time. After you submit documents to file a claim, your insurance company is responsible for informing you if they require further paperwork. They also must tell you the status of your claim promptly. However, some insurance companies may try to delay payment as long as they can in hopes that their clients give up on pursuing their claim.

If your insurance company has been unreasonably slow in processing your claim, you should get in touch with an insurance lawyer in Rapid City, SD.

Your Insurance Company Unexpectedly Terminates Your Policy

If you tried to make a claim with your insurance company and discovered that your policy was unexpectedly terminated, you should speak to an insurance lawyer right away. Insurance companies can’t legally terminate policies without warning their customers or having good reasons for doing so. If they say that they ended your policy right after you filed a claim, it raises red flags and should be looked into immediately.

Reasons Why an Insurance Company May Deny Your Claim

Insurance companies can have an arsenal of reasons to give you for denying your claim. Some are legitimate and some are not. Here are some of the more common reasons for denying your claim:

  • Lack of Coverage – They could argue that your claim isn’t covered by your insurance policy, which is why it’s very important to examine your policy’s exclusions section to understand what’s not covered. Sometimes ambiguities in the policy could be in the favor of the policyholder, not the insurer.
  • Application Errors – An insurer could claim that you made misrepresentations on your original application which could nullify the coverage of your policy.
  • Claim Errors – Check your policy and its requirements for notifying the insurance company of a claim. There could be timelines to make a claim as little as 24 hours.
  • Insurance Fraud – If you submit a false or exaggerated claim that could be considered insurance fraud which carries civil and criminal consequences.

You must contact your insurance lawyer Rapid City, SD immediately and for you to discuss and share your policy with your lawyer so there is a better understanding of your case and its possible outcomes. It is never easy being in these types of situations with an insurance company, but it is crucial for you to understand if you have a case and if pursuing your legal options against your insurance company would be beneficial. Never settle for anything less than you deserve and an insurance lawyer Rapid City, SD from The Law Offices of Clayborne, Loos & Sabers LLP will help you fight for what you deserve.

What To Expect When Suing An Insurance Company

First, you want to hire a qualified insurance lawyer Rapid City, SD to help you understand your legal options when considering to sue your insurance company. There will be an investigation conducted by your lawyer and your insurance company’s lawyer. The investigation will consist of reviewing the facts of the case and the history of the dispute through a process called “discovery.” This process involves exchanging documents and conducting depositions, which is a formal fact-finding process that will be under oath and conducted by the insurance company’s lawyer. When you are a “deponent” you are expected to answer questions truthfully and your lawyer is expected to protect you from unfair questions during a deposition by making objections.

If there is no settlement then your case will most likely go to trial which will require you to be a witness and testifying in court. A lawsuit like this one could take several years to resolve and that is going to require patience while waiting for the outcome. A reliable insurance lawyer Rapid City, South Dakota like one from The Law Offices of Clayborne, Loos & Sabers LLP is needed to get you through this type of case. Your lawyer will be expected to keep you up to do on your case and the next steps involving the case. You are going to have to make important decisions and consider settlement offers from the insurance company, but a trustful lawyer will help guide you through those offers before making a decision. 

What Could You Recover From Your Case?

Of course depending on the facts of your case, your policy, and the state where you live you may be able to recover:

  • Economic Losses
    • Property damage
    • Medical bills
    • Loss of use of your home or car
    • Lost wages
    • Lost interest/loss of opportunity
  • Attorney Fees and Cost of Lawsuit
    • Having to sue to recover insurance benefits owed
    • For all your losses resulting from unpaid insurance benefits
  • Non-economical losses
    • Emotional distress (anxiety, pain, and suffering, etc) 

How Will an Insurance Lawyer Help?

If your insurance company is treating you unfairly, it is worth it to talk to an insurance lawyer. He or she will look into your policy, investigate the circumstances surrounding the damage that caused you to file the claim, and then file a lawsuit against the insurance company.

Schedule a consultation with an insurance lawyer in The Law Offices of Clayborne, Loos & Sabers LLP today.

Insurance Lawyer Rapid City, SD

Working with an insurance lawyer in Rapid City, SD can help you with your insurance disputes. We know how an insurance company should act and when they are being more problematic than they should be. Dealing with insurance is never an easy task and that is why you can know that The Law Offices of Clayborne, Loos & Sabers LLP will have your back and do what we can to make sure your case is handled with the utmost care. 

It can be a stressful time working with an insurance company. How do you know that they are treating you fairly and with respect? It isn’t easy to know but there are ways to tell if the company is not treating you in good faith. 

Bad Faith Insurance Practices 

A bad faith insurance practice is when the insurer fails to respond to your claim with good faith and fair dealings or violates the law. By law, the insurer is to treat you in a certain way. They have to treat you fairly and if they don’t then are said to have acted in bad faith. While denying your claim isn’t automatically bad faith, if it was denied improperly you may have a legal claim. 

Here are some examples of when an insurer acts in bad faith: 

  • The insurer delays the investigation into your claim without reasonable justification
  • They fail to conduct a proper and efficient investigation of your claim 
  • They delay the processing of your claim without a reasonable justification 
  • They transfer your claim among numerous claims adjusters to delay the process
  • They lie about misrepresenting or misinterpreting the policy language to avoid liability 
  • They misinterpret state law to avoid liability 
  • They lie about misrepresenting other documentation or records to avoid liability 
  • They deny your claim without conduction an investigation
  • They deny your claim in violation of the policy
  • They deny your claim without providing reasonable explanations in writing 
  • They accuse you of fraud without a reasonable justification for why
  • They alter or cancel your policy after you filed a claim 
  • There are threats made or inappropriate statements made towards you
  • There is a failure to maintain reasonable communication with you 
  • They make an unreasonably low settlement offer and refuse to negotiate with you
  • They are harassing you or pressuring you into accepting the unreasonably low settlement

There are many things that an insurance company can do that they shouldn’t. It can be hard to know what is going on in the midst of your claim and even harder to know if the company is acting in bad faith. No one should be given the runaround and no one should be taken advantage of by an insurance company. 

If you suspect that your insurance company is treating you in bad faith don’t hesitate to contact an insurance lawyer in Rapid City, South Dakota, to see what we can do for you. One of our lawyers will take a look into your claim and help you see if your insurance company is practicing in bad faith. Don’t hesitate to schedule a consultation with The Law Offices of Clayborne, Loos & Sabers LLP for help on your claim to get the right compensation for you.

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Rapid City, SD

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