We are a lawyer and attorney personal injury firm based in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Insurance Bad Faith
Bad faith claims arise when a company with whom you have a contract fails
to act within the terms of that contract. In the case of your insurance company,
this may happen if it fails to promptly or properly defend or pay a claim. An
insurance company has a duty to deal fairly with its customers, giving more
consideration to its insured customers than to its own interest. Whenever your
insurance company fails to honor its obligations in its contract with you, you
may have a claim for bad faith. An insurance company is required to investigate
all claims and find out information about anything that might support their
insured's claim.
Insurance contracts are written to reflect current case law. Known terms which
seem self-evident to the insured may actually have special interpretations to
the insurance company and not to the insured. All insurance contracts are interpreted
in a court to carry out the reasonable expectations of the insured party. The
contract will be studied to obtain its meaning, and such meaning must be clear
and unmistakable. Generally, any terms which are not clear will be interpreted
to benefit the insured. You do not have to prove that the company intended to
cause harm, only that they failed to honor their agreement and had no cause
not to pay the claim.
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