Mercer County Auto Insurance Attorneys
New Jersey Insurance Bad Faith
We buy auto insurance -- in fact, we're required by law to buy insurance -- to minimize the negative consequences of a car, truck or motorcycle accident. For some people, the process of putting in a claim after an auto accident goes smoothly. Unfortunately, many others find that their claims are met with denials of coverage, unreasonable delays or unfairly low settlement offers.
Anytime you buy vehicle insurance in New Jersey, you should be given a contract outlining your obligations, and the insurer's obligations to you. When your insurance company refuses to provide coverage that's included in your contract, it's called insurance bad faith, and it's illegal. Unfortunately, insurance bad faith is most common with high-value claims -- which means the victims are often the people who've lost the most.
Most auto insurers won't deny a legitimate claim outright. Instead, they add insult to injury by looking for facts in your accident that they can misconstrue to avoid paying the claim. They may say the accident was your fault, even though you have evidence showing it wasn't; that you don't have the coverage you need; or accuse you of making a fraudulent claim. In other cases, the insurer might agree that you have the coverage, but offer you a settlement that's too low to cover all of your costs.
If you're dealing with an insurance company that won't play fair, Lependorf & Silverstein can help. Call our office as soon as possible to set up a free consultation, at which time we'll read through your insurance policy and tell you about your legal rights and your case. We understand New Jersey contract and insurance law, and we understand the common tricks insurers use to wiggle out of paying. We will use those skills to negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf.
If you're being sued because of an accident, and your insurance company denies its obligation to defend you under your liability policy, you would also have a bad faith claim. And in some cases, insurers might drag their feet on your claim for months, letting you hang in limbo far beyond what's reasonable -- or time limits included in your policy. All of these are types of insurance bad faith in New Jersey that victimize you a second time.
No matter how expensive your auto accident claim might be, insurance companies know that it will get much more expensive once you hire an attorney. Sometimes, a phone call from us is all it takes to let your insurance company know that you're serious about enforcing your legal rights. If that doesn't work, we are prepared to keep negotiating or even take your insurance bad faith claim to a court of law.
Lependorf & Silverstein is an experienced New Jersey auto accident law firm. Based in Princeton, we represent people throughout the state who have been seriously injured -- physically, financially and emotionally. We specialize in accidents -- including car, truck and motorcycle accidents -- and the complicated problems they can cause. That's one reason why we work for contingency fees, in which our legal fees come from the money you win at the end of your case. If you don't win, we don't get paid -- so there's no risk for you. And we always offer free consultations, to answer legal questions and evaluate the cases of potential clients.
If you or a loved one is a victim of insurance bad faith in the State of New Jersey, call Lependorf & Silverstein today for a free case evaluation.