Fire Damage Insurance Claim Attorney in Cincinnati and Northern KY
If a fire damaged your home and property, your insurance company should step up and compensate you for your losses. Unfortunately, insurers don’t always play fair—they may try to delay your payment, deny your claim, or even accuse you of fraud or arson. For these reasons, it’s crucial to have a knowledgeable attorney by your side to protect your rights. At Lawrence & Associates Accident and Injury Lawyers LLC, our Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky property damage insurance claim attorneys have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for clients over the past two decades, and we’re dedicated to helping Ohio and Kentucky residents successfully resolve their fire claims. Call (513) 434-6698 in Ohio or (859) 251-3591 in Kentucky for a free consultation, and let us help your family recover with peace of mind.
table of contents
- Common Issues in Fire Damage Claims
- Types of Fire Damage Losses Covered in Ohio and Kentucky
- Why Choose Our Fire Damage Insurance Claim Services
- What is Insurance Bad Faith for Fire Damage Claims?
- What Legal Remedies Are Available for Fire Damage Claim Denials?
- Choosing Lawrence & Associates to Handle Your Claim
- Contact Our Fire Damage Insurance Claim Lawyers in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Northern Kentucky
Common Issues in Fire Damage Claims
Insurance companies advertise that they’ll readily help compensate their clients after a fire, but sometimes, they actually turn on people and accuse them of arson, fraud, or misrepresentation. Even if your insurance company doesn’t try to shift the blame to you, they may unfairly deny your claim, delay your claim without reason, or purposefully undervalue your loss. A specialized attorney can help you navigate these issues and push for full, timely compensation.
Types of Fire Damage Losses Covered in Ohio and Kentucky
All homeowners’ insurance policies cover loss by fire in Ohio and Kentucky. That coverage extends to the following three types of fire damage losses:
- Dwelling loss: This coverage pays for the costs of repairing damage to your home caused by a fire or finding a new one if your home is a total loss.
- Personal property loss: This coverage pays for the costs of repairing or replacing damaged goods such as furniture, appliances, electronics, jewelry, and clothing.
- Additional living expenses: This coverage, also called “loss of use,” compensates you for temporary housing expenses while your home is being repaired or reconstructed or until you find a new place to live.
Meagan Tate
Partner, Lawrence & Associates
“Insurance companies are in the business of evaluating and balancing risk. If your insurance company is not fairly evaluating your claim, you should hire an aggressive attorney with a winning record that can demonstrate to the insurance company that the financial risk of litigation outweighs the potential financial reward of undervaluing your claim.”
Why Choose Our Fire Damage Insurance Claim Services
Fire damage claims can be complex, especially when you’re simultaneously handling the emotional weight of a fire loss. Working with a team of experienced fire damage insurance claim lawyers can give you the leverage you need to reach a favorable outcome. At Lawrence & Associates, our knowledgeable and skilled team can handle your entire claims process, from investigating the fire to negotiating with your insurer or taking them to court.
Claim Evaluation and Documentation
It’s important to properly document the damage after a fire, and an attorney can ensure you gather as much evidence as possible to prove your losses. You can work with your lawyer to make a list of all damaged personal property and keep track of all receipts for living expenses, cleanup, and repairs.
Claim Filing and Negotiation
An attorney can negotiate a settlement with the insurance company before going to court. However, if the insurer insists on an unfair coverage denial or a lowball settlement offer, our attorneys are prepared to take them to court.
Dispute Resolution and Litigation
Policyholders can file a lawsuit for breach of contract and bad faith conduct. This form of legal action may allow you to recover damages beyond your coverage limits. Lawrence & Associates attorneys are experienced in handling these disputes and taking cases to court to secure rightful compensation.
Our Personal Approach to Property Damage Insurance Claims
A partner at Lawrence & Associates and the leader of the firm’s Property and Casualty Insurance Claims Team, Meagan Tate joined the firm in 2021 after working in insurance defense for nearly a decade. This experience gave Meagan deep knowledge of the tactics insurance companies often try to duck valid claims. Having made the switch to represent injured people, Meagan now uses this unique perspective to resolve cases for those in need.
“Insurance companies are in the business of evaluating and balancing risk. If your insurance company is not fairly evaluating your claim, you should hire an aggressive attorney with a winning record that can demonstrate to the insurance company that the financial risk of litigation outweighs the potential financial reward of undervaluing your claim.” – Meagan Tate, Partner, Lawrence & Associates
What is Insurance Bad Faith for Fire Damage Claims?
Following a fire, your insurance company may try to devise reasons to avoid paying your valid claim, which is considered acting in bad faith under the law. Luckily, each state has laws designed to regulate insurers and how they handle policyholders’ claims. If an insurer acts in bad faith by denying or underpaying valid fire damage claims, they can face consequences. Having a lawyer by your side will help you refute any false allegations and force insurers to honor their obligations to you.
When acting in bad faith, insurance companies might do the following:
- Deliberately undervalue the value of your loss
- Delay paying your claim to gain leverage in negotiations
- Question your claim without any reasonable basis
- Fail to promptly and reasonably investigate
- Refuse to enter good faith negotiations to resolve the claim, forcing you to file a lawsuit
- Blame you for the fire by accusing you of fraud, misrepresentation, or arson
What Legal Remedies Are Available for Fire Damage Claim Denials?
When an insurance company has acted in bad faith or unfairly denied someone’s claim, claimants have legal remedies to secure justice and compensation. Depending on the state, these remedies may include filing a complaint with state regulators, filing a bad faith lawsuit, and pursuing punitive damages in egregious cases. In Ohio and Kentucky, insured parties have the following options:
- Ohio – If an insurer breached its duty of good faith, there is a cause of action for a bad faith lawsuit. Policyholders may be entitled to recover the actual damages they incurred from the insurer’s conduct and may also be able to seek punitive damages if the case involved flagrant conduct.
- Kentucky – Kentucky has several laws regarding bad faith insurance claims, including the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act and the Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Act. Under these laws, victims of bad faith insurance practices can recover compensation via a lawsuit or by filing a complaint with the Kentucky Department of Insurance, which may impose a regulatory fine on the insurer.
Our compassionate and experienced trial attorneys are here to give you a measure of justice and financial relief for what you’ve been through.
Choosing Lawrence & Associates to Handle Your Claim
Lawrence & Associates guarantees certain outlined rights for every client in our Client Bill of Rights—that’s what sets us apart from other law firms. We value and respect our clients and are committed to successfully resolving their claims. Some of the rights we guarantee our clients include:
- The Right to Full Analysis: You will meet with a specialist who can evaluate all aspects of your case and ensure you’re filing the right claim
- The Right to Efficiency: Lawsuits are not short but should be resolved as quickly as possible. We endeavor to resolve your case more speedily than other firms.
- The Right to Updates: Your attorney will provide regular updates on every case development as it occurs, even during less active times.
- The Right to Specialization: At Lawrence & Associates, our attorneys limit themselves to a maximum of two practice areas to avoid becoming a jack of all trades but a master of none.
- The Right to Authority: Your legal team understands you call the shots when settling or filing your case. The case belongs to you, and every decision is yours.
Our Case Results
Contact Our Fire Damage Insurance Claim Lawyers in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Northern Kentucky
If you need help with a denied or delayed fire damage claim, Lawrence & Associates can help answer all of your questions about property and casualty claims. Our Ohio and Kentucky attorneys are passionate about helping families navigate these challenging times and fighting for full and fair compensation.
Contact our offices for a free consultation today. Call (513) 434-6698 in Ohio or (859) 251-3591 in Kentucky or complete our online contact form.
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