Insurance Bad Faith

How to Fight for Fairness in Coverage

Following a major accident, people rely on their insurance companies to provide the coverage they need to get back on their feet. Unfortunately, however, this does not always happen. If you have been unfairly denied an insurance settlement, call the experienced personal injury lawyers at Howerton, Dorris, Stone & Lambert. For nearly a century, we have been helping our friends and neighbors to obtain fair compensation when they have been in an accident.

Why Don’t Insurance Companies Pay Settlements?

In order to successfully file a lawsuit against an insurance company, a plaintiff must be able to prove that the insurer had a duty to cover the loss and that they unlawfully withheld a settlement. Sometimes companies will claim negligence on the part of the plaintiff, such as a vehicle theft being due to the owner’s failure to keep the car locked.

They may also minimize the settlement by:

• Reporting minor injuries where they are severe
• Claiming the injury victim misrepresented their health history
• Accusing the victim of not cooperating with their protocols

How Our Team Can Help

At Howerton, Dorris, Stone & Lambert, we understand the ways insurance companies try to avoid fulfilling their responsibility. By fighting aggressively to hold insurers to their obligations, we have helped many of our clients to obtain better outcomes for their cases. The Illinois statute of limitations on an insurance contract is ten years, but oftentimes policies will include a suit limitation period that shortens the window when customers can sue for compensation. For this reason, it is important that those who have been withheld settlements contact experienced insurance bad faith lawyers right away.