Martinsburg Insurance Bad Faith Attorney

Every month, you pay your premiums and keep up with auto, health and property insurance policies. Like most policyholders, you may believe your insurance provider is there to help you in times of need, such as after an accident or natural disaster. The unfortunate truth is, however, the insurance company’s main goal is to make money for its investors, not to help clients.

While your insurer has a legal obligation to pay out valid claims, it may try to pay as little as possible or nothing at all. If your insurance company fails to treat your claim fairly or reasonably, you may have grounds for an insurance bad faith claim against the company to recover not only what the insurer lawfully owed you for the original claim, but also additional compensation in penalties and fees.

The attorneys at Manchin & Ferretti can help you as a victim of insurance bad faith in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The deadline for filing insurance bad faith claims in West Virginia is only one year, so you must call as soon as possible. Request a free bad faith case evaluation at 304-264-8505.

Why Clients Choose Us

We are a full-service law firm with 80 years of combined legal experience in personal injury and insurance bad faith law.
We do not get intimidated by large or powerful insurance corporations. Our lawyers can take insurance bad faith claims to trial, if necessary.
We provide legal representation for Martinsburg insurance bad faith claims on a contingency fee basis: $0 in attorney’s fees unless we win.

Most Common Types of Insurance Bad Faith

Insurance companies have a contractual obligation to handle claims in good faith. Yet insurers may deny, delay or ignore valid claims. Results-oriented legal representation could force your insurer to pay up. Hiring a lawyer whose main focus is this practice area could allow you to take swift action against common types of insurance bad faith.

Delayed payment. If a company ignores your claim, requests unnecessary documentation or excessively delays your case instead of paying promptly, it is bad faith.
Failure to fairly investigate the claim. Denying your claim without properly investigating it or assessing damages and liability is an indication of bad faith.
Insurance agent error. An insurance agent may focus more on getting commission for selling a policy than your best interests. If an agent failed to offer you important coverage, you may have a bad faith claim.
Misrepresentation of policy terms. It is illegal to negligently or intentionally misrepresent the terms of a policy, such as through excessive exclusions or ambiguous language.
Underpayment of claims. Offering a fast but low settlement is a common tactic to save an insurance company money. Do not accept an offer until first consulting an attorney.
Wrongful claim denial. Insurance companies have a reputation for denying claims for any possible reason. Many claim denials depend on illegal exclusions or the company’s vague interpretation of a technicality buried in fine print.

Do not walk away from a valid insurance claim without a fight. Bad faith can significantly impact your ability to recover benefits the company owes you under your policy. If you believe an insurance company is breaching its legal duties of care to you, contact an attorney to discuss a claim against the insurer for acting in bad faith.

Contact Us for a Free Consultation

Insurance law requires companies to handle valid claims fairly and reasonably. If your insurer breaches this obligation, legal options are available to you as a policyholder. At Manchin & Ferretti, our lead attorney spent the first decade of his career defending insurance bad faith claims. This experience could be formative for your case. Act quickly to meet the one-year filing deadline in West Virginia. Contact the Martinsburg insurance bad faith attorneys at Manchin & Ferretti today.