Insurance Disputes

The public perception is that the insurance company calls the shots and that the individual has little option but to accept what is being offered. Nothing could be further from the truth. The law imposes strict duties on insurance companies regarding how they handle claims made by their insureds. Specifically, insurance policies are to be interpreted in favor of coverage wherever possible, and not interpreted to defeat coverage. This fundamental principle of law often seems lost on insurers. In their rush to build larger companies and taller buildings, the insurance industry has forgotten its roots and abandoned the idea that insurance is not about big profits, but rather is an attempt for many individuals to protect themselves against catastrophic loss through their combined contributions. Insurance companies systematically use their superior size and money, combined with the pressures created by the passage of time, to weaken the insured to a position where the options are limited and the need is great. It is an unfortunate fact of life that it frequently requires the intervention of attorneys to make insurance companies do for their insureds that which they should do by simple application of their very own policies of coverage.

At Bland Richter, LLP, we balance the playing field for individuals who are wrongfully denied insurance benefits to which they are entitled. For example, the firm successfully prosecuted a claim for benefits on behalf of a young trial attorney who had been denied disability benefits after a heart attack.  Following a lengthy battle, the insurer ultimately settled the claim for $3.69M, although the policy benefits if paid in full were just over $800k.   More recently, the firm successfully resolved a claim against a health insurer following the death of an insured who had been denied medical testing under a policy of insurance.  Please consider us for your insurance coverage disputes including claims for denial of homeowner's claims for damage to a residence as a result of fire, theft, storm or other causes, denial of professional disability policy benefits, denial of life insurance benefits, refusal to defend and/or indemnify on a policy providing defense and indemnification, or denial of claims for damage under a commercial liability or general liability policies.