You naturally trust insurance companies to come through for you when you need them the most in Massachusetts. Unfortunately, sometimes, insurance companies engage in bad faith practices involving insurance claims such as liability or property claims. However, if you are a business owner, business litigation is not your only option for addressing this issue. Likewise, if you are an individual, you may not necessarily have to fight a lawsuit to seek justice. Instead, you may be able to take advantage of advocation, arbitration or mediation with the help of an attorney.
A number of practices fall under the umbrella of insurance bad faith, including an unnecessary delay in making a payment on a claim. Insurance companies may also refuse to pay valid claims, or they might refuse to fully pay claims’ values. In addition, sometimes, insurance companies improperly investigate or delay investigating insurance claims.
To prevail in a claim involving bad faith practices by an insurance company, you must prove that the company knowingly behaved in a manner that was unscrupulous, unethical, immoral or oppressive and thus caused you substantial injury. Only then can you get your insurance company to pay out. An attorney can advise you on the appropriate method for making/asserting your claim and guide you through the process of resolving it outside of court, if possible. If this is not possible, your attorney can help you through the litigation process in Massachusetts.
In our 100 years as a firm, we have seen any and all insurance issues affecting businesses, including many bad faith disputes. Since 1918, the attorneys of Seder & Chandler have excelled at facing complicated and fast-moving legal issues, from complex corporate law, commercial real estate law, estate planning, to acting as counsel for law matters business and personal. Contact us today to learn how our combination of traditional commitments and adaptivity has given us a legacy of a 100 years.