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Fighting For Denied Life Insurance Benefits
Since 2001, our Illinois attorneys have helped people recover improperly denied life insurance and accidental death benefits. The consultation with us is always free. You can call our office at 312-346-5320 or 800-517-1614 to speak with a lawyer or you can fill out our contact form and we will contact you.
If you are denied life insurance benefits in Illinois, or payment has been delayed, you might have a claim against the insurance company for bad faith. An attorney can file a lawsuit in order to force payment on the policy. These cases are usually clear-cut, and attorney review of the insurance policy or contract will help you know for sure.
It’s important to look into why and how the insurance company reached a decision to delay or deny payment. Sometimes denials are based on mistakes or inaccurate information. Other times, benefits are denied intentionally and fraudulently because the insurance company wants to avoid paying.
Insurance companies are obligated to act in good faith when processing and paying on Illinois claims. This means they can only delay or deny benefits for legitimate reasons. If there are any exclusions, meaning situations where benefits are lost, they should be stated in the policy or contract. Denials might also be based on the fact that misrepresentations were made at the time the policy holder applied for insurance or if the policy holder failed to pay premiums. Even though these might be legitimate reasons for denial, we recommend checking with an attorney to make sure.
Unfortunately, bad faith in the life insurance industry is not uncommon. If a denial is based on any of these reasons, you might have a good case for a lawsuit:
- Insurer fails to fairly or properly evaluate a claim, including fairly determining the cause of death
- Insurer fails to pay life insurance benefits in a timely manner
- Insurer fails to pay the correct or full amount of benefits to the beneficiary
- Insurer wrongfully claims that the policy offered less or different coverage than what was agreed upon with the insured
- Insurer otherwise denies a beneficiary some or all of the benefits to which they are entitled
Insurance companies deny benefits in hopes that the beneficiary will accept the denial and not take action. They hope you will not file an appeal or seek the help of an attorney to review the situation.
We recommend hiring an Illinois attorney right away. Do not try to negotiate with the insurance company yourself. Statements that you make or forms that you file could be fatal to your case. An attorney will look at the policy and contract, letters from the insurance company, police reports, autopsy reports, and records of payment of premiums.
Look for an Illinois attorney who has years of experience obtaining unpaid benefits under life insurance policies and who knows what requirements the life insurance companies are under when processing and paying claims for benefits. It’s important to work with an attorney who understands how insurance companies work and who can recognize instances of bad faith.
We have helped people find lawyers for many of these cases with a bunch of very successful results. Every attorney in Illinois that we recommend for these claims works on a contingency basis which means there will be no fee to you unless they are successful.
If you’d like our help finding an Illinois life insurance attorney to evaluate your case or help you obtain benefits, please give us a call at (312) 346-5320 or (800) 517-1614, or contact us online and we’ll call you.