You purchase insurance as a way to protect against loss and assume that the insurance company will cooperate if ever you have to file a claim. Unfortunately, some Florida insurance claims are unjustly denied. Insurance companies owe a duty to policyholders and must deal fairly with them. The common term used to describe this duty is known as the “implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.” If an insurer violates this covenant, it could be considered bad faith.
Bad faith insurance describes a tort claim a policyholder may have against an insurer for its bad tactics. In some bad faith insurance cases, the policyholder may be able to recover an amount higher than the original face value of the insurance policy, if the insurer’s behavior was outrageous.
Examples of Florida insurance bad faith include delaying the investigation of a claim, failing to reasonably handle an insurance claim, inadequate investigation, refusing to defend a lawsuit, refusing to offer a reasonable settlement and making threats against the policyholder.
If you have been the victim of bad faith insurance in Florida, contact the Law Offices of Lilly, O’Toole & Brown at (863) 683-1111. The bad faith insurance lawyers at the law firm will be able to advise you on your Florida insurance dispute.