Tuscaloosa Insurance Fraud Lawyers
Strong protection for victims of insurance fraud in Alabama
There are many types of insurance fraud, including fraud to entice consumers to purchase insurance policies, fraud involving what protections the policies actually provide, and fraud involving the handling of insurance claims. At Prince Glover Hayes, we represent policyholders and claimants who suffer any contractual or personal injuries due to insurance fraud. Our Tuscaloosa insurance fraud lawyers have earned the respect of former clients, insurance companies, and the legal community for our record of successfully holding insurance companies responsible for denying their clients and beneficiaries their rightful compensation. Call us now to hold your insurance company or the insurance company for any defendants accountable.
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How do you fight for victims of insurance fraud in Tuscaloosa?
Insurance companies, by law, are required to act in good faith when underwriting insurance policies and handling policyholders’ claims. When an insurance company fails to abide by the laws governing insurance, they are said to be acting in “bad faith” or, in the worst cases, committing insurance fraud. Either provides grounds for a lawsuit.
Prince Glover Hayes is a West Alabama leader in representing clients who are victims of unfair settlements or wrongfully denied claims. We never represent insurance companies and only represent individuals who have been treated unfairly by their insurance carriers.
Through years of investigating insurance company practices, we have discovered:
- The wrongful denial or unfair settlement of claims is commonplace.
- There is actual “boardroom approval” of fraud designed to mislead consumers while increasing the profits of large insurance companies.
- Insurance companies have either denied coverage or charged higher premiums for African Americans based solely on the fact that they are African Americans.
At Prince Glover Hayes, we have the knowledge to deal effectively with all aspects of insurance cases - interpreting policies, medical records, and property evaluations, as well as corresponding with insurance agents. Our experience and resources allow us to challenge even the most prominent insurance companies.
Among other actions, our lawyers will:
- Review the applicable laws
- Examine the exact terms of your insurance policy
- Show that you paid the premiums
- Show all the ways the insurance company deceived you or acted in bad faith
- Verify all your financial and personal damages – depending on your type of insurance claim
- Explain your rights
- Explain the claims process
- Negotiate your demand for compensation
- Argue your case before a judge and/or jury if your insurance fraud claim does not settle
Examples of our successes
Our record of successful insurance fraud cases includes:
- $8.3 million settlement. Insurance fraud verdict.
- $20 million settlement. Alabama farmers were wrongfully denied benefits.
- $1.6 million settlement. Wrongfully denied benefits
- $1.25 million settlement. Wrongfully denied benefits.
What is insurance fraud?
Generally, insurance fraud involves the intentional misrepresentation or hiding of facts about the terms, conditions, rights, and payment of insurance policies and insurance claims. Insurance fraud may result in criminal charges and/or civil complaints. There is no requirement that local prosecutors file criminal charges to file your civil complaint. If there are criminal charges, we coordinate your civil claim with the criminal case.
At Prince Glover Hayes, we understand the federal and Alabama laws that govern insurance fraud. The elements of a civil claim for insurance fraud generally include:
- You are the owner of an insurance policy or the beneficiary of an insurance policy.
- The insurance company misrepresents or commits other misconduct regarding the terms of the policy, the conditions when the policy applies, or how they handle the claim. Other misconduct includes failing to act in good faith in the handling of your claim – deliberately denying or trying to limit your claim on an unwarranted ground.
- You suffer financial harm due to the insurance fraud.
What types of insurance fraud cases do you handle in Tuscaloosa?
Our Tuscaloosa insurance fraud lawyers handle the following types of fraud claims:
- Premium diversion. This type of fraud involves insurance agents who fail to send your premiums to the underwriters for the agent’s personal gain.
- Fee churning. This type of fraud involves the taking of commissions through reinsurance agreements. “The initial premium is reduced by repeated commissions until there is no longer money to pay claims. The company left to pay the claims is often a business the conspirators have set up to fail.”
- Misrepresentation. Here, insurance agents lie or deliberately fail to tell policyholders the truth about the terms of their coverage. Often, policyholders file claims only to find out they’re not covered or that the amount of coverage is much less than they expected.
- Scams. These may include disaster relief coverage and storm coverage.
Among other efforts, we review your right to hold the agent accountable and to hold the underwriter accountable to the terms of what you reasonably believed you paid for.
Bad faith insurance claims
As we discuss in our article on bad faith insurance, bad faith generally occurs after you file your claim, as opposed to other types of insurance fraud, which normally occur before you file your claim. Bad faith generally involves efforts by your insurance carriers to stall or delay your claim so you enter into a bad settlement – or deny your claim altogether.
Bad faith claims generally apply to the following:
- First-party claims. Here, the insurance company for a policy that you own and pay the premiums to keep active fails to investigate and negotiate your claim in good faith. One example of a first-party claim we handle is a claim for mold, roof, and shingle
- Third-party claims. These claims generally involve personal injury and wrongful death claims against the insurance companies for drivers, property owners, manufacturers, and any other person or company that owes you compensation because they breached a duty of care to you. The compensation is generally for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, property damage, and loss of quality of life.
What damages can policyholders receive when insurance fraud happens in Tuscaloosa?
At Prince Glover Hayes, we understand when insurance fraud and/or bad faith occurs and how to hold the insurance companies liable. We demand compensation for all your damages, including the damages due to the fraud or bad faith negotiation. These damages include:
- The value of your policy benefits (or the benefits due under what should have been your policy).
- Interest due to any delay
- Excess damages – the damage for your full claim, even if your full claim is more than the policy limits
- Attorney fees
- Any contractual damages that may apply
- Any statutory damages that may apply
In many cases, we seek punitive damages to punish the insurance company and/or agent for their unconscionable actions.
Do you have an insurance fraud lawyer near me in Tuscaloosa?
You deserve compensation when insurance companies don’t play by the rules. Prince Glover Hayes meets policyholders at our office located at 2311 University Boulevard, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401. We also consult with clients by phone and through online consultations.
We’re here to answer your rights and aggressively work to hold your insurance company liable.
Contact our respected Tuscaloosa insurance fraud lawyers to fight for your rights
At Prince Glover Hayes, we have 45 years of experience fighting for first and third-party insurance claimants. We have the skills, resources, and understanding of how the insurance claims process should work to handle your insurance fraud claim. Call our Tuscaloosa insurance fraud lawyers or use our contact form to schedule a free consultation.