Insurance Disputes In Oklahoma

Your insurance company owes you a duty to deal with you fairly. When your insurance company treats you badly they are acting in Bad Faith. You don't have to just take it.

If you, or a family member, have been improperly represented by your own insurance company, we can help.

When you have a loss, your insurance company will try to pay you as little as possible if you let them. But is that what they promised you when they sold you the policy.

Most of us have insurance of all kinds. We buy car insurance, home owners insurance, life insurance, health insurance or disability insurance to name a few. You buy insurance coverage to protect you and your family from harm but when you need it will the insurance company be there like it promised when you paid your premiums.

The law requires that the insurance company act in good faith toward its insured. It has the duty of good faith and fair dealing. But when an insurance company breaches that duty and acts in bad faith you have the right to take action to persuade them to act fairly.

An insurance company can be acting in bad faith if it does any of the following:

• Denies the payment of valid claims
• Unreasonably delays payment
• Fails to properly investigate a claim
• Knowingly under pays a claim
• Fails to defend a claim made against its insured

Claims for bad faith can only be brought against your own insurance company. These are called first party claims. Bad faith does not apply to the other parties insurance company when you have been injured or damaged by someone else. Bad faith can apply to your own uninsured / underinsured coverage when injured in a motor vehicle accident that was someone else's fault who was either uninsured or underinsured.

When an insurance company acts in bad faith the insured can sue not only for the fair amount of the claim but also for additional consequential damages that the bad faith caused its insured. Additionally if the bad faith of the insurance company was intentional or done maliciously then the insured can seek punitive damages.

Representing the victims of insurance bad faith can be a very complex area of legal practice. It demands legal knowledge along with knowledge of the insurance industry and claims practices. Experts in the field of insurance including insurance claims experts, accountants, doctors or engineers are often required to develop the information and evidence necessary to prove insurance company bad faith and the financial damages victims incur.

At Self and Associates we seek out and locate the experts necessary to best represent Oklahoma victims of insurance company bad faith and their families. With 30 years of experience in handling insurance cases, James Self has the knowledge to assist you in navigating this complex area.

If you or a family member have been the victim of insurance bad faith, James Self would like to talk with you. Please contact our Oklahoma law firm today to schedule a free case evaluation.

Call James Self at 1-800-747-SELF for a FREE CONSULTATION.