If this sounds like you
A home damaged.
Your homeowner’s policy should have answered a real loss: water, contamination, a house you cannot live in. The company delayed, lowballed, or went silent.
You have a toxic claim. They’re waiting you out.
You already have an asbestos, silica, or other toxic claim. The insurer’s move is to wait.
Benefits a senior was denied.
You are older. The policy looked like it would pay. The answer was a denial with no real explanation, or silence that works like one.
What the call is for
Location doesn’t close the door
People move. That does not change whether the company still owes you.
The firm has directed many out-of-state residents into courts that would actually hear them.
If you think it’s too late
Don’t assume it’s too late on your own.
Time limits are not the same in every state. The only way to know is to call.
The consultation with Gordon is free.
If you or your family member is 70 or older, or a doctor has said there may be less than six months life expectancy, California courts can fast-track a case: months, not years.
Previous bad-faith work
Early in the asbestos work it was clear that many insurers would not look at a good-faith number until a case was filed and close to trial. That was product-liability coverage on the manufacturers whose products had gone into the workplaces.
The same pattern moved into other files. Delay, and delay again, in the hope that the person on the other side of the policy is gone before a court date.
An Example of Insurance Bad Faith.
In the late 1980s, Stemple Law pursued insurance benefits for a family whose home had become uninhabitable in the Crazy Horse landfill matter. Despite repeated demands and an in-house opinion that the claim should be paid, the insurer failed to pay. At trial, a claims adjuster testified that Gordon’s letters were placed in a “CGU” file, an acronym for client gave up. The case resulted in a jury verdict that included $5 million in punitive damages.
Publication of “The Oracle Review” ©
The Breast Implant Project: A Journey Through Adversity
Gordon’s interest in this issue grew out of his own experience following wildfire-related contamination of his home. A prolonged dispute with his insurer raised questions about the handling of claims, access to information, and the fair payment of policy benefits.
That experience led Gordon to begin examining whether older policyholders were encountering similar problems. Stemple Law continues to investigate whether seniors have been denied insurance benefits to which they may be entitled and whether, in appropriate cases, those practices may constitute insurance bad faith or financial elder abuse.
Bad Faith Insurance and Elder Abuse
Gordon’s interest in this issue grew out of his own experience following wildfire-related contamination of his home. A prolonged dispute with his insurer raised questions about the handling of claims, access to information, and the fair payment of policy benefits.
That experience led Gordon to begin examining whether older policyholders were encountering similar problems. Stemple Law continues to investigate whether seniors have been denied insurance benefits to which they may be entitled and whether, in appropriate cases, those practices may constitute insurance bad faith or financial elder abuse.
Was your insurance claim handled unfairly?
An insurer may deny a valid claim, substantially undervalue it, repeatedly delay making a decision, fail to adequately investigate, or withhold information relevant to the claim.
Not every disagreement amounts to bad faith. But if you believe a valid claim has been handled unfairly, call Gordon. The consultation is free.
