Insurance Bad Faith

The law recognizes that an insurance policy is a special type of contract. You, the insured, pay money to the insurance company. In return, the insurance company promises to protect you, your family, and your business against some of life’s worst events such as death, fire loss, theft, injury, disability, auto accidents, and lawsuits that are filed against you, your family, or your business.

Every insurance contract has within it a promise of “good faith and fair dealing.” If the insurance company breaches this promise of “good faith and fair dealing , ” a jury or the Court will find that the insurance company has committed a “bad faith breach.” This exposes the insurance company to damages that may be much more than the damages for a simple breach of the insurance contract. A bad faith breach can arise from any type of insurance contract, including life insurance, disability insurance, homeowners insurance, comprehensive general liability insurance, business insurance, employer insurance, and automobile insurance.

“Bad faith” requires something beyond breach of contract. In order to prove insurance “bad faith,” there must be evidence of insurance company unreasonable conduct, without proper cause, that results in the wrongful denial of insurance benefits. Some examples are unreasonable denial of policy benefits, unreasonable denial of a defense if you are sued, unreasonable refusal to settle a lawsuit against you at or below the policy limits, and unreasonable denial of insurance coverage. Many bad faith cases are the consequence of the insurance companies failure to thoroughly investigate claims before they deny insurance benefits.

For the past 30 years as a California lawyer, Attorney Sergio Feria has applied his extensive legal knowledge, legal skills, and legal experience serving individuals, families, and businesses who have been wrongfully denied insurance benefits.

By design, The Law Offices of Sergio Feria APC does not take on more cases than Mr. Feria and his staff can properly work up. Because of the limited case load, you are assured that your case will get the attention it deserves.

Mr. Feria has represented clients who speak many different languages, including Spanish. Mr. Feria is a fluent Spanish-speaking attorney.