Claims Adjusters Or Lawyers? Federal Court Sees No Difference.

Steven L. Miracle | Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols An insurance company’s duty of good faith and fair dealing is incorporated into every insurance policy. Generally speaking, the duty requires an insurance company to act fairly toward its insured and not place its own interests above the insured’s interests, whether in the context of an… Continue reading Claims Adjusters Or Lawyers? Federal Court Sees No Difference.

An Inadequate Investigation Exposes Arizona Insurers to Bad Faith Only If the Insured Proves Additional Investigation Would Have Favored the Insured

Nathan Meyer | Jaburg Wilk Plaintiffs often allege an insurer breached the duty of good faith and fair dealing by conducting an unreasonable and/or an inadequate investigation. But, Arizona courts have held for over 30 years that an insurer’s unreasonable investigation can be the basis of bad faith liability only if a reasonable investigation would… Continue reading An Inadequate Investigation Exposes Arizona Insurers to Bad Faith Only If the Insured Proves Additional Investigation Would Have Favored the Insured

Insurer Motion to Intervene in Underlying Case Denied

Tred R. Eyerly | Insurance Law Hawaii     The Colorado Supreme Court determined that the insurer defending under a reservation of rights could not intervene in the underlying case after the insured assigned its rights to any bad faith claim against the insurer. Auto-Owners Ins. Co. v. Bolt Factory Lofts Owners Ass’n, Inc., 2021 Colo.… Continue reading Insurer Motion to Intervene in Underlying Case Denied

Court of Appeal Holds Only “Named Insureds” May Sue for Bad Faith Under California FAIR Plan Policy

Valerie A. Moore and Kathleen E.M. Moriarty | Haight Brown & Bonesteel In Wexler v. California Fair Plan Association (No. 303100, filed 4/14/21), Brooke Wexler’s parents insured their residence, which was located in a mountainous high-fire risk area, with a California FAIR Plan Association owner-occupied dwelling policy. The policy only listed Wexler’s parents and did not name… Continue reading Court of Appeal Holds Only “Named Insureds” May Sue for Bad Faith Under California FAIR Plan Policy

An Insurer Is Not Subject to Strict Liability for the Failure to Accept a Reasonable Settlement

Kathryn Ashton | Clyde & Co. In March 2021, an appellate court decision clarified what the law has always been in California; that to find an insurer liable for bad faith, the insured (or its assignee or a judgment creditor) must plead and prove the insurer acted unreasonably or without proper cause. California’s standardized jury… Continue reading An Insurer Is Not Subject to Strict Liability for the Failure to Accept a Reasonable Settlement

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