Articles Posted in Bad Faith

Under Florida law, insurance companies must act in “good faith” when addressing and resolving an insurance claim made against a policy. However, in many cases, insurance companies fail to do this. Through a Florida bad faith claim, state law provides policyholders with an avenue to seek restitution if they believe that an insurance company has engaged in bad faith practices when attempting to resolve a claim.

Bad faith claims arise if an insurance company breaches its duty to recognize a claim, investigate a claim promptly, respond appropriately to communication requests, act efficiently, or offer valid reasons for a delay or denial. There are generally two types of Florida bad faith claims, first-party and third-party claims. First-party claims occur when an insurance company has a contractual duty to pay benefits to its policyholder. Whereas, third-party coverage protects the policyholder in cases where they may be liable for injuries and damages to a third-party.

Under the law, policyholders who are asserting a bad faith claim must provide the insurance company with a notice of the statutory violation. After receiving the notice, the law provides the insurance company with an opportunity to cure the violation, by paying the claimant’s damages. If the company cures the violation within the time frame, the bad faith claim becomes irrelevant. However, if the company fails to respond, the courts will presume that the plaintiff’s assertion is true.