When Insurance Agencies Act in Bad Faith

Anastacio Mindiola
Anastacio Mindiola

With some 20 years of legal experience, Anastacio “Trae” Mindiola has operated his own law practice in Houston, Texas, since 2011. Focusing on civil suits involving insurance law, Anastacio Mindiola litigates cases involving bad faith.

An insurer that acts in bad faith has failed its obligation to properly investigate and pay a claim. Following are several examples that illustrate typical examples of bad faith lawsuits.

An automobile accident victim won a $2 million settlement because the policy only provided $100,000 in coverage, a policy limitation that was not revealed to the claimant.

In a $23.5 million case, the courts ruled the insurance company falsely informed a California claimant that earthquake damage was covered in its policy and encouraged the claimant to initiate repairs.

In another California suit, a jury found an insurer guilty of bad faith when it offered only $10,000 to a couple whose only child had been killed in a car accident; the limit of coverage in the policy was actually $300,000.

An auto repair shop owner asked his insurance company to defend him in an environmental damage lawsuit. The company first said he did not have a policy, and then harassed him with information requests that were impossible to meet. He successfully sued the insurers for acting in bad faith.