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When Insurers Unreasonably Deny Claims Or Resist Judgments

In Oklahoma, as is true elsewhere, an insurance policy involves an implied covenant or duty of good faith and fair dealing. In other words, insurers should pay benefits under circumstances that are spelled out in their policies. To name a few examples, a serious car accident or fire should trigger a payout to the injured or surviving family members in a fatality case.

Unfortunately, many legitimate claimants in such cases in our state encounter resistance from insurance companies. They are then left to suffer unjust financial burdens in addition to their pain and suffering. At Whitten Burrage, our trial lawyers investigate and litigate cases in which insurers collect premiums but do not make good on the terms of their policies.

How We Pursue Justice Through Insurance Bad Faith Claims

Through the application of Oklahoma’s insurance bad faith laws, our attorneys work to hold insurers accountable for legitimate claims and judgments, such as when:

  1. Your home is damaged in a tornado or storm and the insurance company will not fairly reimburse you,
  2. Your own insurance company fails to pay you under or uninsured motorist coverage,
  3. Your own insurance company fails to pay you life insurance proceeds, and
  4. Any other first-party insurance coverage benefits that your own insurance company fails to properly pay.

This list includes just a sample of many such cases that can trigger insurance-related disputes. In the face of trouble with an insurer, an injured person or their lawyer should get legal advice. A skilled, accomplished attorney who regularly brings successful claims over bad faith insurance can be a highly effective ally. Attorneys at firms throughout Oklahoma look to Whitten Burrage to help them develop winning strategies when their clients’ insurance claims or judgments have been denied or reduced unfairly.

Complex Litigation Is Our Strength. Rely On Our Attorneys’ Experience.

Many people who experience insurance troubles after accidents and disasters make the mistake of trying to argue with insurance company representatives. It is easy for people to unknowingly hurt their own prospects by doing so. A case review by an experienced insurance bad faith lawyer is advisable.

At Whitten Burrage, such consultations are free for injured people as well as for their attorneys. To reach us in Oklahoma City, call 888-801-8682 or send an online inquiry.

From Reggie’s interview for the Masters of the Courtroom series on ReelLawyers.com.

View Transcript

bad faith only exists when

someone who buys an insurance policy or

is covered by an insurance policy sues

their own insurance company that’s

called first party insurance and in

Oklahoma the law has a very high

standard it’s sort of like if you were

an athlete and you were a high jumper

anybody can jump over a one foot bar or

a two foot bar but bad faith the law

sets the bar 10 feet high I mean it’s

really high you have to thoroughly

investigate you have to evaluate you

have to make a fair offer quickly you

don’t have to do that in a normal car

accident case where you’re not the

insurer and so that’s where a lot of

insurance companies get into trouble

so when you explain to the jury what the

burden is for an insurance company

treating their own insured that makes it

a different ball game entirely

Mike Burridge and I tried a case

together in 2008 that kind of

exemplifies that we were able to

demonstrate that an insurance company

had acted terribly to their insured had

basically taken a lot of money that

should have been paid to the insurer

they made them fight like the devil to

get it

we got 130 million dollar jury verdict

in 2008 in Lawton Oklahoma and uh made a

closing argument that lasted just a few

minutes and got a punitive damage

verdict of 30 million that was

definitely deserved and the case settled

after that it was deserved because that

company treated these people like an

enemy and the law requires

the insurance companies to treat their

own insureds in good faith and treat

them fairly and they didn’t do that and

we were able to prove that but again you

have to know the language you have to be

able to explain these duties and explain

how they work in the real world and a

lot of people don’t speak that insurance

lingo so we spent the first part of our

career representing insurance companies

they basically sent us to school and

taught us all that I didn’t learn that

in law school

so that that turned out to be a big

Advantage for us