Trusted bad faith insurance lawyers with over 25 years of experience.
Florida law gives policyholders a remedy when carriers behave in bad faith, and that remedy reaches beyond the dollars promised under the policy. Homeowners searching for strong legal help turn to The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers because we know how the bad faith record gets built, what carriers fear in these cases, and how to position a file for the strongest possible recovery. There is no charge to learn your options from our legal team and no fee unless we secure a result for you. Call our Deerfield Beach, FL bad faith insurance lawyer today.
Bad Faith Insurance Lawyer Deerfield Beach, FL
In Florida, bad faith refers to a carrier's failure to handle a claim with the good faith and fair dealing the insurance contract requires. A bad faith insurance lawyer is the attorney who builds the evidentiary record, files the Civil Remedy Notice, and pursues extracontractual damages when the carrier's conduct crosses the line. The work demands familiarity with both contract litigation and the Florida-specific civil remedy statutes, because the rules in this corner of the law have shifted considerably in recent years.
Our firm represents Florida policyholders pursuing these claims throughout Deerfield Beach, Broward County, and the surrounding South Florida region. The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers brings a plaintiff-side focus to every bad faith file, supported by years of insurance defense experience that informs how we anticipate the carrier's response.
Types of Bad Faith Insurance Cases We Handle in Deerfield Beach
Bad faith conduct shows up in many forms across Florida property and casualty claims. Some cases turn on what the carrier did. Others turn on what the carrier failed to do, when it had every opportunity to act. Below are the categories of bad faith and adjacent insurance matters our firm accepts in Deerfield Beach, with the understanding that each file stands on its own facts, the insurer's specific conduct, and the contract terms at issue.
- First-party bad faith on residential property claims. The most common bad faith setting we see involves homeowners whose insurer underpaid, delayed, or denied a covered loss. We document the carrier's conduct from claim opening forward.
- Property damage. Bad faith arises out of an underlying property loss. We handle the contractual breach and the extracontractual pursuit together when the facts support it.
- Insurance claims. Adjuster errors, miscommunications, and bad-faith-adjacent conduct often accompany straightforward claim disputes. The same record supports both pursuits.
- Hurricane damage. Catastrophe-claim handling produces some of Florida's most contested bad faith files. Carriers are stretched thin, communication breaks down, and policyholders pay the price.
- Water damage. Sudden water losses generate disputes over causation, sublimits, and exclusions. When carriers misuse those defenses to avoid clear coverage, the file may support a bad faith pursuit.
- Denied and delayed claims. Wrongful denials and stalled adjustments are the foundation of most bad faith records in Florida. We preserve the record from day one.
- Coverage interpretation disputes. When a carrier construes an exclusion against the policyholder in ways the policy language does not support, we challenge the interpretation in litigation and document the conduct for bad faith pursuit.
- Failure to investigate. Florida's unfair claim settlement practices statute prohibits denials without reasonable investigation. We document gaps in the carrier's claim file, missing inspections, and ignored evidence.
- Lowball offers and unreasonable settlement positions. When a carrier's offer ignores the documented damage and stays unreasonable through pre-suit negotiation, the file may support a bad faith pursuit after appropriate adjudication.
Why Choose The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers for Bad Faith Insurance in Deerfield Beach, FL?
Carrier-Side Knowledge, Policyholder-Side Mission
David F. Edwards and Maria O'Donnell handle bad faith and related insurance matters together. Before launching The People's Law Team in 2014, Attorney O’Donnell founded and operated one of the largest female-owned insurance defense firms in Florida and represented Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, State Farm, Allstate/Castle Key, Universal Property, Esurance, Mercury, and Travelers. She also handled Special Investigation Unit assignments, the kind of work that puts a lawyer inside the carrier's claim file and shows them exactly how a bad faith record gets built or broken. She has been admitted to The Florida Bar since 2002 and the District of Columbia Bar since 2022, and she earned her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School in 2001. Our property damage lawyer in Deerfield Beach, FL draws directly on that defense-side knowledge in every bad faith pursuit.
Outcomes and Fee Structure
The firm holds a 99 percent success rate on the matters we accept. Our work has helped Florida policyholders recover millions of dollars on claims and bad faith pursuits that the carrier did not want to pay. Every bad faith insurance case is taken on contingency. There is no upfront cost. There is no hourly invoice. You owe us nothing unless we secure recovery. That arrangement reflects the reality of these files. Bad faith pursuits take time, and policyholders are usually managing the financial consequences of the underlying loss while the case moves forward. We take the risk so the policyholder can focus on rebuilding their life.
Understanding Bad Faith Insurance Cases
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Bad Faith Insurance Cases
Bad-faith insurance cases go beyond what the policy alone provides. When the elements are proven, and the procedural prerequisites are met, recovery can include extracontractual damages that exceed policy limits. Categories of recovery commonly include:
- The full contract benefits the carrier should have paid in the first place
- Consequential damages caused by the bad faith conduct, such as foreseeable financial loss
- Statutory interest from the date the claim should have been paid
- Attorney fees and costs in narrow situations under Section 624.155 and Section 768.79
- Punitive damages in narrow circumstances where the conduct rises to the statutory threshold
- Damages exceeding the policy limits when the carrier's bad faith caused the excess exposure
Important Aspects in Your Bad Faith Insurance Case
Bad faith files succeed or fail on a handful of pivotal elements. Understanding them in advance gives a policyholder a clearer view of what the case requires.
- Predicate adjudication for property cases. Florida's Section 624.1551 requires an adverse adjudication on the breach of contract before extracontractual damages may be pursued
- Civil Remedy Notice. The 60-day pre-suit notice under Florida law must be specific, accurate, and properly served on the Department of Financial Services and the carrier
- Documentary record. The claim file, adjuster notes, denial letters, and email correspondence drive the bad faith story
- Carrier conduct timeline. Bad faith analysis tracks what the carrier knew, when it knew it, and what it did or failed to do
- Cure period management. The 60-day notice gives the carrier a chance to cure; how the carrier responds during that window often shapes the case
Bad Faith Insurance Case Timeline
Bad faith pursuits move on a longer arc than ordinary contract claims because of the procedural sequencing Florida law imposes. The typical stages include:
- Underlying claim submission, denial, delay, or underpayment
- Pre-suit demand and exchange of estimates with the carrier
- Filing of the Civil Remedy Notice and the 60-day cure window
- Litigation of the breach of contract claim and adverse adjudication if needed
- Filing or amendment to add the bad faith count following the predicate
- Discovery into the carrier's claim handling practices and internal records
- Resolution by settlement, summary judgment, or trial verdict
What to Bring to Your Bad Faith Insurance Consultation
You do not need a finished file to schedule a meeting. Bad faith evaluations often begin while the underlying claim is still active. Helpful materials include:
- The full insurance policy and all declarations pages
- Every denial letter, partial payment statement, and reservation of rights from the carrier
- All correspondence, including emails, letters, and adjuster reports
- Repair estimates, invoices, and out-of-pocket receipts
- Any photographs or video documenting the loss and any temporary repairs
The first consultation is free. We use that time to assess whether the file supports a bad-faith analysis, whether the procedural prerequisites have been or can be met, and what the next concrete step should be.
Florida Legal Resources for Bad Faith Insurance
Deerfield Beach policyholders looking to understand the framework around bad faith insurance pursuits can begin with the following resources:
- Section 626.9541, the Florida Unfair Insurance Trade Practices Act provision defining unfair claim settlement practices, sets out the conduct that may support a bad faith case
- The Florida Department of Financial Services division of consumer services administers the Civil Remedy Notice intake and free mediation for property claim disputes
- Florida Statutes Chapter 624 contains the Insurance Code's general administration provisions, including the civil remedy framework
- The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation publishes carrier conduct findings, market conduct examinations, and disciplinary orders relevant to claim handling
- The NAIC consumer guidance explains how a regulatory complaint differs from a private bad faith pursuit
- The Florida Bar consumer information library publishes general legal pamphlets covering insurance disputes and consumer rights
Reach Out to The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation
If you suspect your insurance company is acting in bad faith on a Deerfield Beach claim, do not let the carrier set the pace. Call our Deerfield Beach bad faith insurance lawyer. The consultation is free. There are no upfront costs, and no fee unless we recover for you. Contact our firm today. Let The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers review the carrier's conduct and outline the path to recovery.
