People purchase insurance policies to put their minds at rest. However, countless valid claims are denied by insurance companies every year. Many individuals are upset when their insurance company disputes a claim and refuses to pay—insurance companies are in the business of making money, and paying out claims is not a part of their business plan. When you find yourself involved in an insurance dispute with your insurance company, an experienced Illinois insurance dispute lawyer can help you deal with the insurance company and your disputed claim.
Settlement As a First Option
The most common approach for handling insurance disputes is to enter into settlement negotiations. A majority of insurance disputes are successfully resolved via settlements. Settlement negotiations begin when your lawyer submits your claim to the insurance company. The insurance company is not interested in paying the full amount of the disputed claim, but may be persuaded into paying a reduced amount of the claim instead. The insurance company will most likely reject your settlement claim; however, it will likely pitch back to you a counter settlement offer.
After discussing the counter offer with your lawyer, you and your lawyer can then determine if the counter offer is satisfactory or not. If not, you can reject the counter settlement offer and put forth another settlement offer of your own. This process repeats until you and the insurance company come to an agreement, or ultimately decide that a settlement is not going to work. When settlement negotiations fall apart and fail, the dispute must be brought before the courts to be resolved.
Proceeding to Court As a Second Option
If all else fails, your lawyer can prepare your insurance dispute claim for court. As an initial matter, it is very likely that your insurance policy contains a clause directed to a statute of limitations for bringing an insurance dispute to court. Your lawyer should be able to review your policy and inform you of when you must file the action in court in order to prevent your claim from being time barred under the policy.
Your case will most likely be based on contract law or the Illinois Insurance Code, both of which your insurance dispute lawyer is highly familiar with. Additionally, your cause of action will most likely be based on a breach of contract (i.e., the insurance company refusing to pay, as per the insurance contract), or a violation of the Illinois Insurance Code. Your insurance dispute lawyer will work closely with you to develop your strongest case against your insurance company so that you can get the claim payout that you need.
If you are having difficulty with your insurance company refusing to payout a valid claim, please feel free to contact one of our experienced Illinois insurance dispute attorneys today. Our firm serves the communities of Rolling Meadows, Buffalo Grove, Barrington, Inverness, Palatine, Des Plaines, Schaumburg, and Arlington Heights. Call 847-934-6000 to speak to a member of our team.
About the Author: Attorney Ken Apicella is a founding partner of DGAA focusing in the areas of personal injury, employment, insurance coverage disputes, and civil litigation. Ken earned his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in 1999. He has been named a SuperLawyers Rising Star and a Forty Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch. Ken has written and lectured for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education and regularly serves as a moderator at Northwest Suburban Bar Association's Continuing Legal Education seminars.
Source:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs5.asp?ActID=1249&