Orange County Life Insurance Claim Denial Lawyer – Serving California

You may have been shocked and angered when you received a notice from the insurance company telling you that the benefits you were expecting have been denied. At Quincey Law, we have seen this situation many times, and we have helped families in your circumstances win.

Life insurance companies can make your life much harder during an already difficult time by denying your claim. However, you can file a lawsuit or appeal in state or federal court, depending on the type of policy you have. You need an experienced attorney to handle your case, especially because you may be in for a tough fight.

Contact attorney Nicholas Quincey at Quincey Law to schedule a free initial consultation when the life insurance company is giving you the runaround. We can review your claim and explain your legal options for pursuing the insurance company for full payment of your policy. Schedule a free initial consultation TODAY to discuss your claim by calling (949) 844-6630 or you can submit a contact form and we will contact you ASAP.

Quincey Law helps clients with denied life insurance claims throughout California and is located at 34135 PCH, Ste 318 Dana Point, CA 92629 just a few blocks west of the intersection of Golden Lantern & PCH. Call attorney Nicholas Quincey today at (949) 844-6630 regarding your life insurance claim or reach out by submitting a contact form to schedule a free consultation.

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“Nick fights hard for his clients. Guided by a strong moral compass, he provides fair and honest insight as to what is in your best interest. He is incredibly diligent, and a straight shooter. You feel like he is always in the trenches with you, and guiding you through tough times. I am so grateful to have worked with him on matters over the last few years. I cannot recommend him highly enough.”
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Reasons Why the Insurance Company Denies Claims

The insurance company will review the facts and circumstances of your claim once they receive it. They will request certain paperwork to verify the claim, and they will be sticklers on all of the policy requirements.

The insurance company may deny a life insurance claim for the following reasons:

• Failure to disclose health conditions: If the insurance company suspects that the applicant hid crucial details about your health when they applied for the policy, they may refuse to pay for the claim.
• Suicide: The insurance company may question the circumstances of death when it occurs within a certain period of time after the policy was purchased.
• Intentional or wrongful action: There are allegations that the deceased person was engaging in an illegal action when they died, such as drunk driving.
• Policy lapses: One of the most common reasons for denial is when the insurance company claims that payments were not made under the policy. However, California law imposes certain obligations on them in the event of a lapse.

If the life insurance policy was provided to you as an employee benefit, the insurance company may use a host of other reasons to deny the claim. ERISA imposes additional requirements on you before you can successfully submit a life insurance claim, such as a continuous period of employment for a certain amount of time.

How the Contestability Period Works

The insurance company’s ability to deny a claim is not absolute, even if the policyholder made material misrepresentations. They only have a two- or three-year period (depending on the policy’s language) from the time the policy was purchased to investigate and potentially refuse to pay a claim. However, insurance companies often stretch their own prerogatives that relate to the contestability period. They may be overaggressive during the period itself, or they may claim that they have the ability to refuse to pay after the incontestability period is done.

Your Legal Rights from an Insurance Policy

The insurance policy is a contract between you and the insurance company. You have the legal obligation to pay premiums and to follow the other instructions and requirements of the policy. The insurance company has the obligation to pay the death benefit when you have filed the claim.

If the insurance company wrongfully refuses to pay the death benefit, you can sue them for breach of contract in state court if you purchased the policy yourself. Your goal is to force them to pay the money that they owe. Depending on the circumstances, you may even be able to take other action against the insurance company, including a lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duty when they have failed to uphold the obligations that they owe you.

If your company provided you with the life insurance policy as an employee benefit, you would need to file a claim under ERISA. Here, there are procedures that are somewhat more favorable to the insurance company, making it even more crucial to have a tough attorney who can get results. There are very tight timelines in an ERISA appeal, and you cannot afford to delay. For example, you have 60 days to file an appeal of a claim denial, and your first level of appeal must be through the insurance company. If you do not succeed, the next step is to take your case to federal court with the help of an experienced attorney.

Contact a Southern California Life Insurance Claim Denial Attorney Today

If your life insurance claim has been denied, call Quincey Law today to learn how you may be able to fight back. Our life insurance denial attorneys serve Orange County including Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Fullerton, Orange, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo, Westminster and all throughout California. You can schedule a free initial consultation with an attorney by calling us today at (949) 844-6630. We charge nothing upfront, and you owe us nothing unless you win.