Insurance Investigations That Fall Short
It might seem like an insurance investigation is not really seeking the full truth about a claim. That is often what happens: The insurance company only looks for the facts that will help them deny or minimize a claim. That is insurance bad faith.
Contact Stephen C. Ryan, Insurance Bad Faith Lawyer · 623-551-3813
Insurance investigators and the companies they work for want to pay as few claims as possible. One way to do that is through an incomplete investigation. In 30 years of practice, attorney Stephen Ryan at the Stephen C. Ryan law firm in Phoenix, Arizona, has seen many examples of inadequate insurance investigations.
A policyholder might, for example, report stolen jewelry. The adjuster questions whether the jewelry ever existed. The policyholder gives the adjuster a list of people who can verify the jewelry's existence, but the investigator fails to call any of them.
Another trick of the adjusting trade is failure to find out the true value of damaged or stolen property. They may use an outside source for valuation. The value quoted may not be for a comparable item. And then they pick the lowest price but don't tell you where you can obtain the item for that lowest price. That is not a fair investigation. A fair investigation looks at truly comparable property, determines the price of replacement, and informs the insured where the item can be obtained for the price being paid.
For a free consultation and honest case evaluation, contact Stephen Ryan.
Did the adjuster do an inadequate investigation and then offer a settlement that did not come close to replacement value? Contact an experienced insurance bad faith lawyer for a free consultation and case evaluation.
