Insurance Bad Faith Attorneys in Santa Barbara

Challenging insurance companies on your behalf

We pay premiums to insurance companies to be there for us when we need them, and when an insurance company refuses to pay claims or benefits, or will not settle or defend a lawsuit, our insurance bad faith attorneys in Santa Barbara at Pulverman & Pulverman, LLP hold them accountable for their bad faith actions.

The covenant of good faith

A covenant of good faith is implied in every contract, including every insurance policy. This requirement to act in good faith means that the insurance company must act reasonably in its decisions and not for improper motives. It is not necessarily unreasonable for an insurance company to investigate a claim, determine coverage and liability, establish the value of a claim or decide whether it is better for the company to settle or litigate. These may all be sound business practices. However, when the motive is to find a way to deny the claim or pay as little as possible, the actions of the insurance company may be in bad faith.

Examples of bad faith actions include:

Rescinding a policy on a technicality to avoid paying a claim
Denying coverage
Offering a “lowball” settlement figure that is out of proportion to the true value of the claim
Refusal to defend a lawsuit
Threats against an insured refusing to defend a claim brought by a third party

Failing to properly investigate a claim
Undue delay in processing a claim
Fraud of agent and insurance companies in denials and underpayments
Making unreasonable interpretations of an insurance policy

To prove bad faith, insurance bad faith lawyers in Santa Barbara look objectively at the customary course of business in the industry and uncover the insurance company’s subjective motives in the particular instance.

Standing up to your insurance company

The insurance bad faith attorneys at Pulverman & Pulverman, LLP represented a named party through many trials and appeals in Safeco Ins. Co. v. Parks, a seminal insurance bad faith case involving a multi-million-dollar judgment and the insurance company’s bad faith failure to settle a personal injury case and defend or indemnify an insured under the policy.

Seek an experienced California insurance attorney handling bad faith claims

If you feel that you are not being treated fairly by your insurance company, call Pulverman & Pulverman, LLP at 805.259.3581 or contact the firm online to schedule a free consultation.

Attorney Profiles
- Martin E. Pulverman Raymond J. Pulverman
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Our Office
- 1307 State Street
  Second Floor
  
  Santa Barbara, California 93101
  Phone: 805.259.3581
RECENT VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS
- $4,375,772 Arbitration award to a man severely injured as a pedestrian after being abandoned on the side of Highway 101 at 2 a.m. He was struck and injured 20 minutes later by a hit and run motorist and lost a leg and survived a lengthy coma. His arbitration award was against his girlfriend who was negligent for abandoning him on the side of the road. She disputed any liability and blamed him for being drunk. The award was reduced by 50 percent because of his intoxication.
- $3,204,934 Verdict for a man who sued an insurance company for its unreasonable refusal to settle his claim for $100,000 (policy limits). The jury determined that the insurance company acted in bad faith and the court entered a judgment for the injured plaintiff. $2,200,000 Action against international cruise line for injuries suffered on an on-shore excursion based on negligent supervision of the shore excursion provider.
- $2,000,015 Mediated settlement for a man who suffered a crushed foot in a head-on collision in the desert. $2,000,000 Jury verdict for a female motorist hit by a truck on US 101. She sustained fractures to her pelvis, femur, tibia and fibula requiring surgery. $2,000,000 Recovered for a motorcyclist who was hit by a truck and sustained orthopedic and traumatic brain injuries.
- $1,250,000 Mediated settlement for a man injured in a motorcycle accident causing a broken foot, clavicle and punctured lung. Dispute over the extent of the injuries complicated by a previously undiagnosed diabetic condition. This represented the policy limits. $1,187,704 verdict on behalf of a bicyclist who sustained shoulder, knee and rib injuries by a truck driver who violated the bicyclist’s right of way.
- $1,100,000 Settlement for a man who was rear-ended by an underinsured motorist with a $25,000 liability policy. An additional $1,075,000 was recovered under the underinsured motorist policy. $1,010,866 A pedestrian walking out of a store in San Luis Obispo is struck by a motorist entering a parking space hitting the gas instead of the brakes causing a broken leg.
- $1,000,000 Mediated settlement for a man with a fractured pelvis injured in a freeway collision with a driver carrying minimum limits of coverage ($15,000). An employer paid an additional $735,000 for a total policy limit of $750,000. An additional $250,000 was recovered in underinsured motorist benefits (policy limits). $1,055,000 Mediated settlement for a young woman who suffered a fractured knee in the parking lot of an oil change service facility. $1,100,000 settlement for a motorcyclist who sustained a fractured tibia, fibula and ribs when he was struck by a car exiting a driveway. $1,100,000 settlement for a woman who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury as a passenger in a single car collision. $1,051,250 Plaintiff/passenger suffered a fractured femur from a high speed rear end collision. Plaintiff/driver suffered lacerations from flying glass. Defendant contended he suffered a seizure and alleged the sudden unanticipated emergency defense and was diagnosed with epilepsy.
- $815,000 Settlement for a man who suffered a herniated disc with an underinsured drunk driver who paid $15,000. An additional $800,000 was recovered under an underinsured motorist policy. $500,000 Mediated settlement for policy limits for a woman who broke her hip in a rear-end accident. The defense contended the injury existed before the accident and initially offered $51,000.
- $410,645 Mediated settlement in a motorcycle crash causing a rotator cuff injury. Disputed over pre-existing medical conditions. $235,000 Mediated settlement for a woman who slipped and fell on water at an auto dealership near a water fountain. $74,277 Verdict for a woman injured in an intersection accident. Dispute over the force of impact. The defense offered $30,000 forcing a trial. The court also awarded $28,547 in costs.
- $600,000 Settlement for a woman who sustained a shoulder injury in an intersection collision with a driver who ran a red light.
- $1,000,000 settlement for a motorcyclist who injured his leg by a car pulling out of a parking lot. $1,000,000 settlement for a motorcyclist who injured his leg by a car exiting a shopping center parking lot. $1,000,025 recovered for a woman who injured her shoulders and arms in an intersection crash.