Clearwater Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer

Do you suspect that an insurance company in Clearwater, Florida, wrongfully denied your insurance claim? Is the insurance company insisting on paying less than your claim value? 

You may have a valid bad faith insurance claim. An experienced Clearwater bad faith insurance lawyer at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers can help you determine whether you’re entitled to compensation.

Our lawyers have over 300 years of experience between us. Over the years, our attorneys in Pinellas County have helped our clients recover over $675 million in settlements and verdicts. We handle all types of injury cases like Clearwater wrongful death claims, motorcycle accidents, catastrophic injuries, Clearwater taxi accidents, and more.

We’re ready to fight for you, so contact our law offices in Clearwater at (727) 796-8282, to schedule a free consultation today.

How Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Bad Faith Insurance Claim in Clearwater

How Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Bad Faith Insurance Claim in Clearwater

You pay your insurance premiums on time. You should be able to rely on the insurance company to pay up when you have a claim. Unfortunately, insurance companies aren’t always honest. They may try to take advantage when you need help the most.

An experienced Clearwater personal injury lawyer at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers can help protect you. We’re one of the oldest law firms in the Tampa Bay area.

Our lawyers have fought cases all the way to the Florida Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States. Three of our attorneys have been Board Certified by the Florida Bar Association (a distinction held by less than 2% of all Florida lawyers).

Hiring us means you’ll have a lawyer to:

  • Determine whether you have a valid case
  • Investigate and gather evidence
  • Hire experts when necessary to support your case
  • Assess your case value
  • Negotiate with the insurance companies for the maximum compensation possible

If the insurance company is giving you the run around, don’t rely on a lawyer directory. Let our Clearwater injury attorneys help you cut through the red tape. Give us a call for a free consultation today.

What Are Bad Faith Insurance Practices?

An insurance policy is a contract like any other. You pay your premiums on time. In exchange, the insurance company is required to act in good faith when you file a claim. As long as you have a legitimate claim, the insurance company is required to hold up its end of the bargain.

Often, however, insurance companies try to deny claims, undervalue damages or delay your payment without any justification. Depending on the facts, those actions may be bad faith insurance practices.

Bad faith insurance practices are dishonest actions that can give you the right to take legal action under Florida bad faith insurance laws.

How Do I Know Whether I Have a Valid Bad Faith Insurance Claim in Clearwater, Florida?

Bad faith insurance practices can take many shapes. Florida has strict laws in place to regulate insurance companies.

Under the Florida Unfair Insurance Practices Act, the following types of actions may amount to bad faith insurance practices:

  • Denying your claim without a reasonable justification
  • Reducing the value of your claim without explaining the reason
  • Misrepresenting the facts in an attempt to convince you to accept a settlement
  • The insurance company failing to investigate your claim in a reasonable amount of time
  • Making unreasonable requests for additional information
  • Failure to communicate, including refusing to return calls or emails
  • Attempting to settle your insurance claim without informing you
  • Changing the terms of the insurance policy after receiving a claim
  • Trying to convince you not to seek legal advice about your claim
  • Intentionally delaying the insurance claims process

Sometimes insurance is required by law. Other times, you purchase it for protection against a storm or to provide peace of mind. Regardless of why you purchased the policy, insurance companies play an important role in everyone’s life. That’s why they’re held to high standards. 

If you suspect that your insurance carrier is acting in bad faith, it’s important to take legal action quickly. Our lawyers in Clearwater can help you determine whether you have a valid claim for compensation. If you do, we’ll work tirelessly to help you get the fair compensation you deserve.

Can the Insurance Company Ever Deny My Claim?

Insurance companies aren’t required to blindly pay every claim made under the policy. Some bad faith claim denials are entirely valid.

For example, the insurance company may have a valid good faith reason to deny your claim if:

  • The risk involved is not covered under the policy
  • The insurance policyholder failed to pay premiums on time
  • The person involved is not insured under the policy
  • You failed to provide adequate information about your claim
  • You failed to file the claim within a reasonable amount of time
  • There is some type of dispute about who is responsible for paying your compensation

Insurance practices can be complicated. If you would like to have an experienced local bad faith insurance attorney review your case, call our law firm for a free case review today.

What Is My Clearwater Bad Faith Insurance Claim Worth?

Once you establish that you have a valid case, it’s important to understand how much money you deserve. Remember, you’ll be facing off against an insurance company that handles insurance claims every day.

Some of the factors that will be most important in calculating your case value include:

  • The nature of the harm you’ve suffered because of the bad faith practices
  • The nature of the insurance company’s actions 
  • The time you’ve wasted trying to get the insurance company to settle your claim fairly
  • Your pain, suffering, and damage to your mental health and wellbeing

Every case is different. However, you should understand that your case value may be much higher than the value of your original insurance claim.

We Handle All Types of Bad Faith Insurance Claims in Clearwater

At Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers, we handle all types of bad faith insurance cases, including those against:

  • Car insurance companies
  • Health insurance companies
  • Homeowners insurance companies
  • Flood, wind, and hurricane insurance providers
  • Fire insurance companies
  • Life insurance companies
  • Medical malpractice insurance carriers
  • Property insurance companies
  • Boat insurance companies
  • Aviation insurance companies
  • Commercial insurance carriers
  • Disability insurance carriers
  • Workers’ compensation insurance carriers

The legal issues can involve either first-party liability or third-party liability. In other words, you may be filing a lawsuit against your own insurance policy in a case involving first-party liability or a third party’s insurance company.

Do you have questions about your legal options? Call our experienced Clearwater bad faith insurance attorneys to learn more about this practice area today.

What Types of Damages Are Available to Victims of Bad Faith Insurance Practices?

The types of damages you may receive will depend on the circumstances of your case. If the insurance company violated the law and you suffered harm, you may be entitled to compensation above and beyond what your insurance policy would have covered.

Like any car accident victim, you may be entitled to seek compensation for economic damages and non-economic damages.

Economic Damages

Economic damages are your financial costs. The types of costs you incur will depend on the situation.

Examples of economic damages that may be available include:

The original amount of your claim

  • The cost of making additional property repairs caused by a delayed property damage claim
  • The cost of additional medical procedures caused by an unfairly denied health insurance claim
  • Interest on amounts you borrowed to cover the cost of the original claim
  • Lost wages
  • Attorneys’ fees and costs

These costs can add up quickly. The longer the insurance company makes you wait, the greater the damage can become. 

Non-Economic Damages

Bad faith insurance practice can cause stress, inconvenience, and damage to your mental health. You’re also entitled to seek compensation for these non-economic damages.

Examples of your non-economic damages may include:

You may also be entitled to seek punitive damages if there is evidence that the insurance company acted maliciously or with reckless disregard.

How Long Do I Have To File a Lawsuit if I Was a Victim of Bad Faith Insurance Practices Florida?

Under Florida insurance laws, the insurance company has time to fix its mistake before you’re entitled to sue for damages. Florida law provides a 60-day “cure” period. Once you notify the insurance company about the issue, they have 60 days to investigate and pay the fair value of your claim.

Once 60 days are up, you then have five years to file a bad faith insurance lawsuit.

Five years probably seems like a long time. In reality, you could have less time to act. Insurance policies often contain their own time limits. Those stricter deadlines may or may not apply in your case.

Our lawyers can help you find out. Just give us a call for a free consultation today.

Contact a Clearwater Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Our team at Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers has the resources you need to pursue a complex claim against the insurance company. If you have questions about this area of law, contact a Clearwater bad faith insurance lawyer for a free consultation today.

Visit Our Personal Injury Law Office in Clearwater, FL

Perenich, Caulfield, Avril & Noyes Personal Injury Lawyers – Clearwater Office
1875 N Belcher Rd. STE 201, Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 796-8282

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