What If I Had Coverage But Was Still Denied?
First Step: Speak with an Insurance Claims Attorney Immediately!
For help contesting a denied insurance claim, hire a lawyer. Putting legal firepower in your corner will tell the insurance company you are not bluffing--and will force them to act accordingly. Call (888) 400-2101, or use our short online form to learn your options and get started.
Harvey left homeowners with massive amounts of damage—but maybe you weren’t worried about your own claims. After all, you’ve been paying for insurance for years to protect you from exactly this type of situation. You simply expected to get the payout you were promised when you bought the policy. Then the unthinkable happened: Your claim was denied. How could that be? How could an insurance company deny your claim, and deprive you of promised resources at the most desperate moment in your life? Don’t they realize you won’t be able to rebuild unless they pay your claim? They do realize that. In fact, they’re counting on it. They know that despite having legal options, denying a claim is enough to get most people to give up on seeking compensation.
Here’s what you need to do next.
#1: Find Out Why Your Claim Was Denied
The first step to filing an appeal is countering the reasons for the denial.
The common reasons for claim denial are:
- Not filed on time
- Damages not covered
- Fraud is suspected
- Policy limits are met/exceeded
- Premiums are unpaid
- Documentation is lacking
#2: Write an Appeal Letter
Once you know why your claim was denied, you can gather documents to prove that you should receive a payout. You may have to hire independent contractors and engineers to inspect your home and provide counter-evidence that could be presented court. The key here is to provide enough evidence that the insurance adjuster is forced to settle with you, rather than go to court. Unfortunately, gathering this evidence may be as mentally-taxing and time-consuming as paying for repairs yourself.
Without legal training or experience, gathering the evidence for the letter of appeal can be difficult at best. Furthermore, the insurance company has virtually unlimited resources (or so they would have you believe). They’re willing to make the process incredibly costly for both sides, knowing that you’re more likely to give in than they are.
The best solution for this step is to hire an attorney to help you with the appeal.
#3: Take the Insurance Company to Court
If the insurance company denies your appeal, then your last option is to file a claim against them in civil court. To be frank, insurance companies often deny appeals—their job is to limit your relief, not give you the maximum compensation you deserve. As a result, denying your claim is simply the insurance companies’ way of hedging their bets. They are betting that you’ll quit after they deny your appeal. If they are right, they won’t pay you a dime. If they’re wrong, they will likely attempt to settle with you anyway. Our firm has settled thousands of claims after threatening to take an insurance company to court. Our knowledge of insurance tactics has helped us secure billions in verdicts and settlements.
Trust us when we say that an insurance company is not your friend—but the situation is not hopeless. When pushed, these companies can reach reasonable settlements. If they still refuse, our attorneys are willing and prepared to take them to the courthouse. We are here to ensure that your rights are protected.