Has this type of lawsuit ever occured?

[FGoode]

Jurisdiction

Pennsylvania

Has there ever been a class action lawsuit or something along those lines against auto insurance companies for their unethical tactics such as intentionally delaying settlements to force poor people to accept lowball offers?

 

[adjusterjack]

Explain what happened to you and you'll get some helpful comments.

 

[FGoode]

Explain what happened to you and you'll get some helpful comments.

I am speaking in general, not about me in particular. According to Forbes, 63% of Americans don't even have $500 for an emergency. When people are involved in a car accident, for a number of obvious reasons, they are in serious need of money. As such, insurance companies try and delay as much as possible in order to get people to accept lowball offers. This is their industry standard and it is clearly very unethical. As such, I am wondering if they have ever had to pay for this, via a massive lawsuit, punitive damages, etc.

 

[adjusterjack]

Which type of claim are you referring to? A claim between an insured and his own insurance company? Or between an injured person and somebody else's insurance company?

For the former, almost every state has some sort of unfair claims practices statute born of numerous first party lawsuits for which insurance companies paid gazillions of dollars in punitive damages and very important case law was established.

The latter is an adversarial claim where an injured person is claiming that the other person caused the accident. The injured person wants as much money as he can get (pain and suffering) and the other person's insurance company has a contractual obligation to protect its own insured from inflated claims and pay only those sums for which its insured is legally liable. Legal liability and damages can only be determined by a court of law. Until then neither the other person or his insurance company owes anything. Then it's a matter of negotiation. What you call low ball offers is defense against pie in the sky claims.

 

[FGoode]

That answers my question perfectly, thank you!

 

[zddoodah]

Has there ever been a class action lawsuit or something along those lines against auto insurance companies for their unethical tactics such as intentionally delaying settlements to force poor people to accept lowball offers?

Lots of class actions have been filed against lots of insurers over the years.

As such, some people ignorantly think that insurance companies try and delay as much as possible in order to get people to accept lowball offers.

ftfy

This is their industry standard

Nonsense.

 

[FGoode]

Lots of class actions have been filed against lots of insurers over the years.



ftfy



Nonsense.

Argumentative, much?

 

[Zigner]

Argumentative, much?

That does not make sense. There was no argument.

 

[FGoode]

That does not make sense. There was no argument.

I am seeing why people don't like lawyers lol. Thank you to the person who was nice enough to answer my question instead of being a troll.

 

[zddoodah]

Argumentative, much?

Call it what you like. If you write preposterous, unsupportable things, don't be surprised when someone calls you on it.

 

[Zigner]

I am seeing why people don't like lawyers lol. Thank you to the person who was nice enough to answer my question instead of being a troll.

Again - doesn't make sense. I'm not a lawyer and never claimed to be one.

 

[Tax Counsel]

I am seeing why people don't like lawyers lol.

Actually most of the people responding to posts here are not lawyers. There are, so far as I am aware, only 3-4 lawyers that post on this site with any regularlity.

 

[FGoode]

Actually most of the people responding to posts here are not lawyers. There are, so far as I am aware, only 3-4 lawyers that post on this site with any regularlity.

Makes sense. Lawyers would presumably be busy making money for their legal advice instead of giving it away for free. What is strange is that they let these idiotic trolls run around all over this forum. They aren't here to ask questions, nor to provide answers. What is their purpose? The only reason I can see for letting them stay is to make the boards seem more active than they otherwise would be if people were only using them for their intended purpose.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Are you speaking about yourself?

 

[justblue]

Makes sense. Lawyers would presumably be busy making money for their legal advice instead of giving it away for free. What is strange is that they let these idiotic trolls run around all over this forum. They aren't here to ask questions, nor to provide answers. What is their purpose? The only reason I can see for letting them stay is to make the boards seem more active than they otherwise would be if people were only using them for their intended purpose.

Because a volunteer gives you an answer you don't like doesn't make that volunteer wrong or a troll.