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After suffering a disabling injury, you could file a claim with your disability insurance policy if you carry one. These short-term and long-term policies help you and your family through a difficult time like this. However, if your insurance company denied your claim or delayed resolving it in the past six months, it may be time to contact a disability insurance lawyer about filing a lawsuit against the insurer.
Thankfully, most lawsuits are settled out of court, but achieving a settlement that reflects the losses sought in the lawsuit often requires strong legal representation, competent negotiating skills, and an understanding of insurance company tactics. Our law firm partners may be able to help.
The Goldwater Law Firm believes in standing up for the injured when big corporations and insurance companies try to take advantage of them. If your disability insurance claim was unjustly denied or delayed, you may be eligible to pursue compensation for disability benefits, emotional distress, and, in some cases, punitive damages. Call us today and discuss your case with a member of our staff during a free case consultation. We can explain your options and put you in touch with a disability insurance lawyer near you.
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We Understand How Your Denied Claim Has Impacted You and Your Family
When you pay into an insurance policy, you expect the insurance company to honor its terms and conditions. When they use questionable tactics to deny or delay your claim or underpay what you are owed, the impact on you and your family can be a terrible and unnecessary hardship. You could be dealing with:
Financial Hardships
Suffering a disability means you may be unable to provide for your family as you did before financially. Even if the disability is temporary, you and your family need the financial stability that comes with the disability benefits you paid for.
In addition to basic living expenses, your disability benefits could be essential for any continuing medical care you require. You may need surgeries, rehabilitation, therapy, at-home nursing services, and home modifications.
Emotional Distress
Your mental and emotional states are just as important as your physical well-being. Without your disability benefits, the financial strain on your family will cause stress and anxiety. Feeling you have no control and are powerless against a large corporation can lead to despair. These circumstances will affect your quality of life and possibly impact your relationships with your loved ones.
Professional Losses
Your disability may cost you your job or career. Though a temporary disability may allow you to work in some capacity with the proper support, you may have greater difficulty reentering the workforce after a prolonged absence.
Damages Your Disability Insurance Settlement Could Provide
When seeking damages in a disability insurance lawsuit, you and your attorney could demand several damages in a settlement. You could demand:
Full Value of Your Disability Benefits
The first damage our co-counsels would seek is the disability benefits you originally sought in your claim. Our law firm partners will determine the actual value you should receive moving forward, plus any retroactive benefits for the time covered by the claim.
Emotional Distress Damages
As stated above, your mental and emotional health are valid concerns. You should receive compensation for the hardships the insurance company’s bad faith practices placed on you and your family.
Legal Fees and Costs
Depending on your case’s circumstances and the state’s laws, it is possible to demand compensation to cover your attorney’s fees. You may also request payment for any court-related costs.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are rare. The courts only award them in cases where the defendant’s actions are extreme, egregious, or heinous. These damages act as a punishment and a warning to others.
There could be other damages you may seek in your disability insurance lawsuit. Your lawyer will review your case and catalog all the damages you have suffered due to the insurance company’s bad faith practices.
Call the Goldwater Law Firm today. We provide a free case consultation for new clients. Learn more about your settlement options from one of our co-counsels.
How Our Law Firm Partners Obtain Settlements for Our Clients
Most insurance companies do not want a lawsuit against them to go to court and would rather settle the case out of court. When evidence of their bad faith practices is shown, they will settle to avoid the costly losses they could face at trial.
The evidence our law firm partners collect is crucial. Medical records, correspondence (emails, letters, and phone calls), and details from the policy showing how the insurance company is in the wrong can all be used against them during negotiations.
Settlements also have the benefit of faster resolutions than a trial. There is far less stress on you, the plaintiff, and less uncertainty about the outcome.
Factors That Could Influence Your Settlement Value
There are also factors that could influence the value of your settlement claim. The longer you have gone without receiving your disability benefits, the greater your financial losses and related damages will become. This could result in a larger settlement.
In addition, the evidence of the insurance company’s bad faith practices could be so extensive or egregious that this could influence the settlement value.
You Still Have the Option to Take Your Case to Court
It is possible that negotiations with the insurance company could fail, and a settlement with them cannot be reached. If that happens, you will still have the opportunity to follow through with your lawsuit and take your evidence and argument to court. You and your attorney can pursue a court award for your losses there.
Be aware that all of this is only possible if you contact a law firm before the statute of limitations in your state expires. This legal deadline varies by state. It could be one year. It could be five. However, if it has been six months since you received your denial letter, you should reach out as soon as possible.
Call the Goldwater Law Firm to Learn More About Your Disability Lawsuit Settlement
We provide free case consultations, and our law firm partners work on contingency, so you pay nothing upfront. They only get paid when you win.