Insurance Bad Faith

Ohio Insurance Bad Faith Litigation Attorneys Hold Your Insurance Company Accountable

Ohio law requires insurance companies to treat their customers fairly in handling claims. If your insurance company denies your claim without “reasonable justification,” you may have a claim for insurance bad faith.

Consumers buy insurance to protect themselves and their families from natural disaster, fire, injury, sickness, disability, accident or death. When tragedy strikes, the last thing a policyholder deserves is to have his or her own insurance company deny a claim for no good reason. Under Ohio law, insurance companies cannot refuse to pay a customer’s claim without “reasonable justification.” This means that an insurance company must engage in a reasonable investigation and pay legitimate claims in a timely manner. If an insurance company fails to handle its customer’s claim properly, it may be liable to pay additional damages, over and above the amount of the original claim. Insurance bad faith can arise from the mishandling of claims under many different types of insurance policies, including:

• Health insurance
• Automobile insurance
• Disability insurance
• Homeowners insurance
• Life insurance

Damages

If an insurance company is found liable for bad faith, it may be held accountable for resulting economic losses, including lost wages, interest on money the insured borrowed to cover expenses while insurance benefits were wrongfully withheld, and loss due to damaged credit. The customer is also entitled to recover for emotional distress caused by the bad faith failure to pay a claim. If an insurance company’s mishandling of a claim shows a “conscious disregard” for the rights of its insured, the company may even be required to pay punitive damages as punishment for the misconduct.