Often times when a claim for benefits is denied, the reason for the denial is that the policy has been cancelled. “Cancellation” refers to the insurer’s termination of coverage before the end of the policy period. A cancellation is in contrast to a non-renewal, which involves an insurer’s unwillingness to…
What is FEGLI? FEGLI stands for Federal Employee’s Group Life Insurance and is a life insurance program for Federal and Postal employees and annuitants. The law related to FEGLI is authorized by law and can be found in Chapter 87 of Title 5, United States Code. The Office of Personnel…
Insurance policy language and the Facts of a situation have to be read together to determine whether or not coverage applies to a claim. Here is a 2021, opinion from the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, that originates from a claimed pipe burst and the insurance company denial of…
Insurance attorneys understand that when a claim gets denied that the majority of the time, the insured will either walk away or will hire an attorney to fight the claim denial. When the claim is denied and an attorney is hired, the case is going to end up a lawsuit. …
Insurance attorneys need to be know this 2021, opinion from the Texas Supreme Court. It is styled, Louis Hinojos v. State Farm Lloyds and Paul Pulido. The Texas Prompt Payment of Claims Act, codified in Insurance Code Chapter 542, imposes deadlines on insurers to pay valid claims. If an insurer…
Denied insurance claims can vary greatly in value. Factors that figure into the value of the claim include, 1) the base amount of the claim, 2) exemplary damages, 3) Prompt Payment of Claims damages, and 4) attorney fees. The goal of insurance companies is to litigate cases in Federal Court,…
Many times an insurance lawyer is approached by someone who has a claim denied due to the insurance company assertion that the policy has been cancelled. In this regard, understanding the reasons for cancellation are important. “Cancellation” refers to the insurance company’s termination of coverage before the end of the…
Life insurance lawyers, disability lawyers, auto policy lawyers, homeowners policy lawyers, and any other type of insurance lawyer needs to be able to read an insurance policy and know how the Courts interpret policies. A principle that has particular impact is the rule that insurance policies are strictly construed in…
Insurance lawyers need to know how insurance contracts are interpreted by the Courts. The 1984, Texas Supreme Court opinion styled, Puckett v. U.S. Fire Ins. Co., says that the rule for insurance policies is that they are strictly construed in favor of the insured to avoid excluding coverage. Exceptions or…
Bad faith insurance lawyers always want to see the policy a potential client has when a claim is denied. The words in the policy compared with the facts of the case will often determine whether or not the attorney can be helpful. When a policy has words or wording that…