Gainesville Insurance Coverage Disputes Lawyer

Gainesville Insurance Coverage Disputes Lawyer

You work hard to accumulate assets throughout life. When you diligently pay your insurance premiums, you should be entitled to expect fair coverage when the worst happens. An experienced Gainesville insurance coverage disputes lawyer at Allen Law Firm, P.A. can help you get that fair compensation.

If your claim has been denied or you suspect the insurance company isn’t playing fair, call our law firm at (877) 255-3652 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.

We’re always available to offer the quality legal advice you deserve.

How Can an Experienced Lawyer Help With My Insurance Coverage Dispute in Gainesville?

How Can an Experienced Lawyer Help With My Insurance Coverage Dispute in Gainesville?

An insurance policy is a contract like any other. You purchase various types of insurance to protect against different types of risk. You should be able to expect the insurance company to hold up their end of the bargain and provide compensation when you suffer damages.

However, insurance companies are for-profit entities. That means they’ll always benefit if they can find a way to deny your claim. In other words, you can’t always count on the insurance company to be there when you need them after a car accident or storm. They might dispute the value of your claim or even deny coverage outright.

An experienced Gainesville personal injury lawyer at Allen Law Firm, P.A. can help. A dispute with the insurance company will probably seem overwhelming. After all, you’re probably not accustomed to filing insurance claims on a regular basis–and you might not fully understand the process or even the terms of the policy. 

On the other hand, the insurance company has virtually unlimited resources. They know exactly how to fight your claim–and they know the tactics that work. An experienced attorney can level the playing field by:

  • Engaging experts to provide evidence about the cause of the damage you’ve suffered
  • Investigating to get solid information about the fair value of your claim
  • Standing up for you when the insurance company tries to blame you for causing the damage or making it worse
  • Handling all insurance communications and paperwork so you don’t have to worry

You always hope that you’ll never need the insurance you’ve purchased. When you do need coverage, you shouldn’t have to fight to get what’s fair. 

At Allen Law Firm, P.A., our attorneys have 70+ years of legal experience and our on-staff adjusters have more than 130 years of collective experience working inside the insurance industry. This means we’re uniquely qualified to help you navigate your insurance dispute. 

Give us a call today so that we can get involved and start looking out for your best interests.

What is an Insurance Coverage Dispute?

Insurance coverage disputes can arise in any number of situations. Disputes can arise over:

  • Ambiguous or confusing terms in the insurance contract
  • Whether the damage was a covered risk under the contract
  • Whether the insured took reasonable steps to mitigate the damage
  • How the damage happened

If the insurance company is disputing your right to coverage, it’s important to get help right away. It can be difficult to know what your rights are, especially when you’re already facing a challenging situation. If the insurance policy in question is a homeowners policy, the insurance company is legally required to send you a document that explains your rights in plain English.

Unfortunately, insurers don’t always do what’s right. Having an experienced lawyer can make all the difference in your case. Our lawyers at Allen Law Firm, P.A. are here to do everything we can to help you resolve the dispute successfully.

Bad Faith Insurance Practices

Some insurance coverage disputes are valid. Disagreements can arise over the terms of an insurance contract for any number of reasons. Some conflicts do, however, arise from bad faith insurance practices. If you’re a victim of this type of practice, you do have rights.

Bad faith insurance practices include things like:

  • Denying a legitimate claim for no valid reason
  • Refusing to investigate after you submit a claim
  • Failing to respond to an insured after receiving a valid claim
  • Canceling your policy after you make a valid claim
  • Misrepresenting the terms of an insurance contract
  • Failing to settle a claim promptly once the obligation to provide coverage has become reasonably clear

Florida law gives victims of bad faith insurance practices the right to file a lawsuit in civil court. To sue for damages, you do have to give the insurer at least 60 days’ notice of the violation. 

Our experienced insurance coverage disputes attorneys are here to help evaluate your claim. If you aren’t sure, it never hurts to give us a call and tell us what happened. Remember, your first consultation is always free.

We Handle All Types of Insurance Coverage Disputes in Gainesville, FL

We can help with any type of insurance coverage dispute, including claims involving:

  • Car insurance
  • Motorcycle insurance
  • Homeowners insurance
  • Flood insurance
  • Wind insurance
  • Business interruption insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Disability insurance
  • Health insurance
  • Marine insurance
  • Uninsured motorist coverage
  • Commercial property insurance
  • And more

Insurance companies make the claims process difficult. Some of these companies are hoping the insured will get frustrated and simply give up. You don’t have to let the insurer off the hook. Call an experienced personal injury attorney at Allen Law Firm, P.A. to tell us what happened today.

Business Interruption Insurance Disputes

If your home is damaged or you’re hurt in an accident, insurance should cover the cost of repairing the damage or injury. Business interruption insurance is a bit different.

Business interruption insurance is designed to cover your losses if your business is forced to close. You might be forced to close after a hurricane, fire, rioting, or, as we’ve all learned, because of a government shutdown order.

The terms of these policies can be particularly difficult to understand. Coverage is often limited to situations where you’ve suffered a direct physical loss. If that’s the case, you’ll also have to coordinate your business interruption dispute with any property damage disputes that might be ongoing.

Why Was My Insurance Claim Denied?

Insurance companies use every trick in the book to avoid paying what’s fair. The terms of an insurance contract are almost always detailed and complex. Most people have a hard time making sense of the language used in these contracts. 

To get out of paying, the insurance company might:

  • Claim that the contract itself isn’t valid
  • Argue that the injury or damages involved aren’t included within the scope of your insurance coverage
  • Challenge whether you paid your premiums on time
  • Blame the victim by claiming that you caused the damage/injury or failed to take steps to mitigate the cost
  • Claim that the damage was caused by normal wear and tear, not an accident

Insurance companies do have the right to deny an invalid claim. It happens all the time. However, the insurance company has to give you a reason for denying your claim. They also have to act within the bounds of Florida insurance laws.

If the insurance company’s actions just don’t seem right, you’re not alone. Reach out to an experienced insurance claim attorney at Allen Law Firm, P.A. to get the help you need.

How Much Time Do I Have to Take Action?

It’s important to file your insurance claim promptly after you’ve suffered a loss. Your insurance policy itself should have information about time limits for filing a claim. However, the Florida statute of limitations can also apply in your case.

If a property insurance claim was denied, for example, Florida law gives you five years to file a lawsuit for breach of contract. Car and motorcycle accident claims based on personal injury are subject to a different statute of limitations period. Florida recently changed its personal injury statute of limitations. If your incident took place on or before 3/23/2023, you will have four years to file a personal injury lawsuit; a two-year deadline applies instead if your incident took place after that date.

There are exceptions for initial claims, supplemental claims, and reopened claims based on hurricanes and windstorms. Under these rules, you have to file a claim within three years after the hurricane first made landfall.

What Types of Compensation Can I Recover After an Insurance Dispute?

Insurance disputes can be messy and time-consuming, especially if you don’t have an experienced attorney by your side. If your personal injury claim or insurance claim is successful, you can recover the types of compensation that the insurance policy was designed to provide. 

In a car accident case, that might include compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and property damage. If your roof was damaged, your homeowners’ policy would be forced to pay fair compensation for repair or replacement.

However, you might also be entitled to compensation for worsening conditions. If the damage or injury was made worse because of the delay in receiving insurance compensation, the insurance company can be held accountable.

Depending upon the insurance policy, you may also be entitled to compensation for attorneys’ fees and costs. 

Call Today For a Free Consultation With a Skilled Gainesville Insurance Coverage Disputes Lawyer

When a disaster or accident strikes, you can’t afford to play games with the insurance company. Some insurance disputes are completely without merit–but you might not know that’s the case if you’re like most people. An experienced Gainesville insurance coverage disputes lawyer can make sure your rights are protected.

As always, your first consultation with our team at Allen Law Firm, P.A. is completely free. Call our North Central Florida office or contact us online today to arrange your free case review.

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