Insurance Company Bad Faith Claims in Oklahoma
You have a right to expect your insurance company to live up to the terms of coverage in the policy you purchased from them. Dealing with policyholders honestly and fairly after accidents, injuries, and other covered losses is part of your insurer’s legal duty of good faith and fair dealing.
Insurers who dispute, deny, or delay payments on their policyholder’s insurance claims without legitimate cause act in bad faith. A frustrated policyholder subjected to this type of action can bring an action against their insurance company for compensation (“damages”) over and above the amount of the denied claim.
The dedicated personal injury attorneys of Ryan Bisher Ryan & Simons stand up for Oklahoma policyholders caught in unnecessary insurance coverage disputes and other bad-faith responses to legitimate insurance claims. We’ve earned a reputation for success in taking on deep-pocketed insurance companies, recovering millions of dollars for clients in connection with bad faith claims.
If you have an active insurance claim and believe your insurance company is mistreating you, contact our Oklahoma City bad faith insurance claim lawyers at Ryan Bisher Ryan & Simons for a free consultation today. We are ready to fight for what’s right and fair.
What Are Insurance Bad Faith Acts?
When you deal with an insurance company, you usually know if you are being treated poorly. However, there’s a difference between disrespect and acting in bad faith.
Our personal injury lawyer has decades of experience negotiating with insurance carriers and filing lawsuits to obtain proper compensation after accidents. We recognize that most insurers work hard to pay as little as possible for a claim. However, bad faith is the unfair treatment of a policyholder who has filed an insurance claim with their insurance carrier. When insurance companies in Oklahoma act in bad faith, we go after them.
Acts of insurance bad faith insurance include:
- Failing to disclose or knowingly misrepresenting benefits, coverage, or other provisions of an insurance policy that are relevant to a claim;
- Failing to promptly and properly investigate a claim;
- Not working in good faith to promptly and fairly settle a claim in which liability (legal responsibility) has become reasonably clear;
- Denying a valid claim because the policyholder has not taken steps that the insurer has not requested or that the policyholder has not refused;
- Imposing time limits or deadlines that are not specified in the insurance policy;
- Asking the insured policyholder to sign a release that extends beyond the subject of the claim at hand;
- Issuing partial settlement payments that include language releasing the insurer from further charges;
- Calling medical services, supplies, or procedures unnecessary and denying payment for them without substantiated evidence (e.g., opinion of a licensed health care provider based on a medical exam or claim review) that is made available to the policyholder;
- Paying “kickbacks” to doctors reviewing claims for rendering opinions that result in reduced settlements;
- Making unreasonably low settlement offers forces policyholders to sue to obtain full payment.
If you have experienced any of these bad-faith tactics after filing an insurance claim in Oklahoma, you should immediately seek qualified legal assistance. Our experienced bad-faith insurance claim attorneys can meet with you to discuss your situation and review your insurance contract and any other documentation you have — without charging you.
We believe in protecting your rights and compelling insurers to act within the law. That means you only pay legal fees if we recover compensation for you. Schedule a free consultation now to discuss your rights.
Your Bad Faith Claim Compensation May Exceed the Original Insurance Claim
Oklahoma’s laws are intended to discourage unlawful and unethical behavior in the insurance industry. Therefore, in bad faith insurance cases, you may seek not only the full insurance payment you are owed on your claim, but you may also pursue additional monies in the form of “compensatory” and “punitive” damages.
Compensatory damages recoverable in a bad faith case include money for:
- Your initial loss under the policy (i.e., the costs of the original accident, injuries, etc., up to insurance policy limits);
- Financial losses caused by the bad faith actions of the insurance company;
- Emotional distress caused by the insurer’s improper conduct;
- Embarrassment and loss of reputation (i.e., financial problems caused by delayed or denied insurance payments).
Punitive damages are additional compensation a jury awards to punish the defendant (in this case, the insurance carrier) and serve as an example so that others are less likely to engage in similar conduct. In Oklahoma bad faith insurance claims, punitive damages are capped in one of two ways: either (1) $100,000 or the amount of compensatory damages awarded; or (2) $500,000 or the increased financial benefit derived by the Insurance Company as a direct result of its bad faith conduct.
Learn About Your Legal Rights Today
If your insurance carrier has delayed or denied your claim unreasonably or otherwise mistreated you, contact our Oklahoma City personal injury law firm now. We know the damage bad-faith insurers do to individuals, families, and society. We will fight for the total compensation you deserve.
Our lawyers handle all types of bad faith claims, from car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle crashes, slip and falls, product liability cases, homeowners claims, and other insurance claims. Our experienced team has earned the respect of our legal peers and insurance company representatives for our knowledge and skill and our dedication to protecting the rights of the injured. Insurance companies that have met us in court or settlement negotiations know we do not back down.
Schedule a free, no-obligation legal consultation with Ryan Bisher Ryan & Simons today. Let us explain your rights and options for moving forward with a potential bad-faith insurance claim.
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