Insurance Disputes/Bad Faith Claims

Ohio Commercial Insurance Claim Lawyers

Insurance contracts are perhaps the most important, but least-understood contracts to which businesses and individuals can be parties. Insurance carriers are happy to charge premiums, but are often unwilling to provide the agreed-upon coverage in the event of a loss. If your company has suffered a serious loss and your claim has been either undervalued, or denied, you are involved in a coverage dispute with your insurance provider and need assistance. Attorneys at our Cleveland, Ohio, law firm, the Associated Offices of Dennis Seaman & Associates, Co., L.P.A., and Garson & Associates, Co., L.P.A. (Seaman & Garson), will be happy to provide a complimentary case evaluation. Contact our office to arrange a free consultation.

Contingency-based representation for insurance coverage disputes

We understand that a small or medium-sized company which has suffered serious losses due to a denied insurance claim may not be able to hire effective counsel under a traditional hourly fee arrangement. Our firm provides an alternative. When assisting a client in a coverage dispute or an insurance bad faith claim, our lawyers typically work under a contingency fee arrangement, where our clients are charged no attorneys' fees unless we recover compensation on their behalf. We consider our firm to be a "bridge to justice" between small businesses and large, well-capitalized insurance corporations.

Business insurance coverage litigation

Insurance contracts are often prepared using indecipherable boilerplate language and presented on a "take-it or leave-it" basis to the purchaser. Unfortunately, the insured party often does not recognize the need to fully understand the terms and conditions of the insurance coverage until after a loss occurs and a claim is denied on the basis of a limit or exclusion to coverage. It is important to understand that insurance companies often successfully avoid paying claims in full, or avoid paying them altogether by intentionally taking unreasonable positions. As a business owner, you cannot afford to accept denial of your claim without having an experienced lawyer in insurance coverage and insurance bad faith evaluate your case.

Insurance liability coverage and property coverage claims

Typical insurance coverage disputes that lead to business litigation involve either liability coverage, where a claim is asserted against the insured by a third party, or property coverage, where the insured makes a claim for benefits following a direct loss due to fire, flood, storm damage, or theft. At Seaman & Garson, our Cleveland insurance claim lawyers represent the interests of the insured parties against the insurance companies, including claims of bad faith.

Representative insurance bad faith and coverage cases

• Our lawyers represented the victim of a catastrophic fire in a property insurance claim when the insurer refused to pay replacement cost coverage, negotiating a $4.6 million dollar settlement prior to litigation.
• Our attorneys prevailed on a summary judgment motion in an insurance coverage case leading to a $2 million settlement.
• We counseled a large national manufacturer in an insurance dispute arising out of a fire loss, convincing the insurance carrier to pay the full amount claimed by our client prior to filing our lawsuit.

Our Cleveland, Ohio, business litigation lawyers handle insurance coverage disputes and bad faith claims in arbitration and litigation, representing clients in state and federal courts in Lorain, Akron, Canton, Painesville, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Dayton, Youngstown, Parma, and communities throughout Ohio, in addition to select cases nationwide. Please call 830-1000 or e-mail our office with any questions or to arrange a free consultation.

Has your client been denied coverage for a substantial, legitimate insurance claim? We may be able to help. Seaman & Garson welcomes referrals from attorneys and accountants.

*Typically our Cleveland law firm charges no attorneys' fees for business litigation services unless our clients benefit from those services through a successful settlement or verdict. However clients are responsible for expenses related to litigation.