Insurance Bad Faith Lawyers Oklahoma

People need insurance to protect them against financial disaster if something unexpected goes wrong. Insurance policies are available for every sort of contingency that includes auto, life, health, dental and other norms of life that need protection. Policyholders pay premiums to insurance companies to provide themselves with this financial protection and peace of mind.

In essence, an insurance policy is a contract that’s executed between the insurance company and the policyholder. Every contract contains rights and duties exchanged for consideration. Unfortunately, there are situations that arise where the policyholder feels that the insurance company breached their contract and acted in bad faith.

Below you’ll find information regarding a description of insurance bad faith, how an Oklahoma bad faith insurance lawyer can help you work through this problem and finally how you should proceed if you feel that your insurance contract has been violated.

A Brief Description of Oklahoma Insurance Bad Faith

The law in Oklahoma states that insurance companies are required to act in good faith in relation to their policyholders. Good faith is a legal term that’s rooted in contract law that basically states that the parties to a contract are supposed to treat each other properly in accordance with the items in a valid contract.

In practice, this means that if a policyholder files a valid claim for a financial loss under the tenets of an insurance policy, the insurance company has a duty to review this claim efficiently and to make payments on claims that are valid based on the facts of a situation. Unfortunately, this is not always what occurs.

There are several circumstances in which insurance bad faith can arise in Oklahoma, and a few examples include:

• Delaying a claim unnecessarily
• Not conducting an appropriate investigation of a claim
• Failing or refusing to disclose policy limits
• Offering a settlement on a claim that is not equitable or fair
• Deliberately prolonging settlement negotiations based on a valid claim
• Refusing to communicate with a policyholder when a valid claim has been filed

These are only a few examples of Oklahoma insurance bad faith, and the unavoidable fact of the matter is that when someone needs an insurance claim settled, he or she is often in a state of financial stress that does not allow for delays. Medical bills need to be paid, repair work needs to be done and benefits need to be provided so a policyholder can get back to his or her normal routine. All too often, the reality of this sort of situation leads a policyholder to simply accept the best offer available from the insurance company, whether such an offer is fair or not.

 

How an Oklahoma Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer Can Help

One reality that needs to be kept in mind is that insurance companies are mostly for-profit corporations. Corporations are technically owned by stockholders, and stockholders of any for-profit enterprise expect and demand a profit in their holdings so that their stock value rises. This reality directly conflicts with the needs and rights of policyholders.

If you find yourself in this situation, you need to take a step back and seek the help of a professional. Insurance companies generally have an entire team of in-house attorneys whose job is to protect their ‘client’ or employer. This is done by working to limit the financial liability that their employer will face.

Those without an insurance or a legal background who attempt to work through this situation by themselves often find themselves drowning in paperwork, struggling to understand the professional jargon that’s thrown at them and are mired in appeals processes and the like that are simply not familiar.

An Oklahoma bad faith insurance lawyer can help you work through this situation so you don’t have to continue to experience the extreme stress that accompanies this problem. An experienced attorney will be able to understand the technical language that’s used, the process that’s required for a claim to be appealed, the strategy involved with negotiating a proper and fair settlement. If necessary, an attorney will also be able to bring the insurance company to court.  If you are wondering if you are able to take your or another insurance company to court, find out below:

• Can I Sue Allstate Insurance Company?
• Can I Sue Farmers Insurance Company?
• Can I Sue Progressive Insurance Company?
• Can I Sue Liberty Mutual Insurance Company?
• Can I Sue Travelers Insurance Company?
• Can I Sue State Farm Insurance Company?
• Can I Sue American Fidelity Insurance Company?
• Can I Sue Oklahoma Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance Company?
• Can I Sue Universal Insurance Company?
• Can I Sue Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company?

What to Do if You Are a Victim of Bad Faith Insurance

If you find yourself mired in a situation with your insurance company that seems to have no answer or solution, you owe it to yourself to secure the help you need so that you can put this situation behind you once and for all. Contact the Oklahoma insurance bad faith lawyers at Atkins & Markoff to schedule a free initial consultation. The firm has decades of collective experience with helping clients who suffer the effects of insurance bad faith seek and find justice and an equitable solution to disputes. Contact the firm today to get this process started.