Experienced Bad Faith Insurance Attorneys Serving Hawaii
World-famous for its unique culture and jaw-dropping natural beauty, Hawaii has a lot to offer to both tourists and long-term residents. Of course, the Aloha State’s popularity comes at a price; statistics show it has the highest cost of living of any American state.
As a Hawaii insurance bad faith lawyer firm, we work with people who have become disabled and are facing extreme financial difficulty because of the wrongful and unreasonable conduct of their long-term disability insurance companies. If you’re currently in a situation like this, we can help you get your life back on track.
How a Hawaii Insurance Bad Faith Lawyer Can Help You
Developing a sickness or injury that prevents you from working is a hugely difficult experience. Simultaneously contending with unreasonable or unlawful conduct by your disability insurance company that endangers your ability to provide for yourself and your family magnifies this difficulty enormously.
Our firm can help you from the very beginning of a long-term disability insurance claim dispute. If you file a claim and your insurance provider rejects it, we can analyze your policy and claim documents during a free initial consultation to see what sort of challenge might be possible.
Before filing a lawsuit, we can write a demand letter to your insurance company on your behalf. This letter will outline any inconsistencies in the reasoning the company used to deny your claim, and claim and insist on the payment of monthly benefits going forward and any benefits that should have been paid previously.
If the insurer is unwilling to budge at this point, it’s time to file a lawsuit in state court. Once our lawyers submit this on your behalf, we’ll start the process of case-building; this involves a period of evidence-gathering through discovery and other means. Depending on the complexity of the case, this can take a number of months.
Before the time comes to go to court, there will be opportunities for our team and the insurer to negotiate a settlement. Many cases reach a conclusion this way; it’s cheaper and more convenient for everyone involved. Of course, if that’s not a possibility, we won’t hesitate to fight for you in front of a judge and jury.
Why Work With DarrasLaw?
Our founding Hawaii insurance bad faith attorney Frank N. Darras has been representing frustrated long-term disability insurance claimants for over two three decades. In that time, he has established himself and his firm as market leaders when it comes to insurance bad faith litigation, securing much-needed results for clients right across the United States.
If you visit our testimonials page, you’ll see dozens of our past clients explaining how happy they were with the service our firm provided. As well as our expertise, dedication, and professionalism, clients love to mention our compassion and attention to detail.
What Is Insurance Bad Faith?
Insurance bad faith is a legal term used to describe an insurance company’s refusal to honor its contractual obligations to its policyholders without proper justification. Bad faith actions can include wrongful claim denials, unreasonable delays in the processing of claims, or refusing to approve adequate compensation for covered losses.
State law in Hawaii provides specific protections to policyholders who have been the victims of insurance bad faith practices. For instance, under Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 431:13-103, insurance companies must adhere to a number of requirements to avoid acting in bad faith, including:
- Promptly investigating claims once they have been submitted.
- Properly looking into the details of all claims before making a decision about paying monthly benefits.
- Properly communicating the details of policies and coverage to insured parties, andparties and representing these details clearly and accurately.
- Providing a reasonable explanation for any denial of coverage or delay in the payment of monthly benefits.
- Offering a settlement that fairly reflects the terms of the policy and your occupational circumstances, rather than attempting to coerce you into accepting a lesser settlement.
Common Disabling Conditions in Hawaii
According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are over 218,000 adults residing in Hawaii who have a disability of some kind. This amounts to 19% of the state’s population.
Mobility-related conditions are the most common cause of disability, affecting 8% of adult Hawaiians. Health conditions related to cognition (7%), hearing (5%), independent living (4%), vision (4%), and self-care (2%) are the other leading causes of disabilities in the Aloha State.
Getting the Legal Help You Need From A Hawaii Insurance Bad Faith Lawyer
Wrongful and unreasonable conduct by long-term disability insurance companies in their handling of claims can derail the lives of innocent people who find themselves out of work because of debilitating illnesses and injuries. However, when this happens, it’s important to remember that the assistance of a top-class long-term disability insurance lawyer can protect you from exploitation.
Contact DarrasLaw today to schedule a free initial consultation about your case. We can provide a free initial policy or claim analysis.
