Attached to this short article is a recent NOTICE from the Insurance Commissioner for the State of California, Richard Lara. Therein, it clearly states that some insurers in the State are unfairly taking advantage of the COVID-19 crisis by making unjustifiably low settlement offers knowing the need of claimants is high and that recourse to the civil court system is currently severely limited and that future access will be delayed for a lengthy period of time. The NOTICE advises insurance companies that their obligations or attempting in good faith to effectuate prompt, fair, and equitable settlements of claims has not been diminished or otherwise changed by the pandemic; and that insurance companies are directed to comply with the requirements of the Fair Clams Settlement Practices Regulations contained with the California Code of Regulations.
Sadly, you cannot rely on an insurance company being fair; and it is particularly reprehensible and egregious that an insurance company will take advantage of the fact that many people are out of work and facing significant financial hardships and use this situation to be unfair to an injured party.
Accordingly, it is more often than not that your best recourse would be to retain and attorney to deal with the propensity of insurance companies to be unfair and employ other gamesmanship to take advantage of an injured party and his or her family.
Please feel free to contact my office should you have any questions regarding whether or not an insurance company is being fair with regard to your claim.
LAW OFFICES OF KIM JAMES KAKADELAS