Are you looking for an insurance bad faith lawyer in Fort Lauderdale?
At The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers, we are trusted insurance bad faith counsel for homeowners and business owners throughout Fort Lauderdale.
If your property insurer has no reasonable basis for the way it handled your claim, you may have a bad faith case against the company. Our Fort Lauderdale, FL insurance bad faith lawyer measures the carrier's conduct against its obligations under the policy and holds it accountable when it falls short.
The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers has represented Florida policyholders since 2014, and our founder's insurance practice dates back to 2002. We handle these cases on contingency. Reach out today to arrange a free consultation.
Insurance Bad Faith Lawyer Fort Lauderdale, FL
An insurance bad faith attorney represents a policyholder whose insurer failed to treat the claim honestly or fairly. A carrier that pays late, offers far less than the documented loss, or denies a claim without investigating it may be liable for more than the policy benefits alone. The lawyer's job is to build the record that proves the conduct was unreasonable and then pursue the full recovery the law allows.
Bad faith disputes often surface after a disaster, when carriers face thousands of claims at once. Following the April 2023 storms that flooded Broward County, FEMA's disaster summary reported $171.5 million in National Flood Insurance Program payments by late July 2023. Private insurers handling claims from events of that size do not always meet their obligations to each policyholder.
Types of Insurance Bad Faith Cases We Handle in Fort Lauderdale
Bad faith is defined by how the insurer acted, not by what damaged the property. The same storm can produce a fairly handled claim next door and a mishandled one at your address. These are the patterns our bad faith attorneys see most often in Fort Lauderdale cases.
- Unreasonable claim delays. Months can pass without an inspection, a coverage decision, or a reply to the owner's documents. We track every date in the claim file, because a pattern of delayed claims is often the strongest evidence of bad faith.
- Low settlement offers. Some carriers make an initial offer well below the repair estimates and wait to see whether the owner accepts. We compare the offer against independent contractor and adjuster estimates and challenge any gap the insurer cannot explain.
- Denials without a real investigation. An insurer that denies a claim after a brief inspection, or without reviewing the owner's evidence, may not have investigated in good faith. We examine the adjuster's notes and reports to see what the carrier actually considered.
- Misrepresenting the policy. Adjusters sometimes cite exclusions that do not apply or describe coverage limits inaccurately. We read the full policy and point out where the carrier's explanation departs from the actual language.
- Hurricane damage. Storm claims arrive in large volume, and insurers sometimes cut corners to close files quickly. We look for rushed inspections, copied estimates, and denials that ignore wind evidence.
- Water damage. Water claims draw frequent disputes over the cause and timing of the leak. When a carrier denies one by relying on an exclusion its own inspection does not support, the denial may be more than a simple disagreement.
- Property damage. Fire, vandalism, and structural losses to homes and commercial buildings can also be mishandled. We evaluate the carrier's handling of each step, from first notice to final payment.
- Unanswered communications. A carrier that ignores calls, letters, and requests for a status update leaves the owner unable to plan repairs. We document each unanswered request as part of the case.
- Commercial claims handled unfairly. Business owners face the same tactics on a larger scale, with the added cost of a closed storefront or an unusable warehouse. We review how the insurer handled both the building claim and any business interruption coverage, since delays on either can compound the loss.
Why Choose The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers as My Insurance Bad Faith Lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL?
Two Decades of Insurance Litigation in Florida
Our founder, Maria O'Donnell, has practiced insurance law in Florida for more than two decades. She graduated from Brooklyn Law School in 2001 and was admitted to The Florida Bar in 2002. For years, she owned an insurance defense firm that represented Citizens, Allstate/Castle Key, Universal Property, Mercury, and other carriers in Florida courts. Today, she represents only policyholders.
That history gives her a clear view of what reasonable claim handling looks like, because she once advised carriers on it. When an insurer departs from that standard, she knows where to find the proof. A policyholder looking for an insurance claim lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, FL gets the benefit of both perspectives.
A Jury Verdict Against Florida's Largest Insurer
In April 2026, a jury returned a verdict against Citizens Property Insurance in one of our cases, awarding the client the full six-figure estimate plus interest. Citizens is the largest property insurer in the state, and it defends its claim decisions aggressively. Taking a case like that to verdict requires preparation from the first week of representation.
Most of our matters resolve before trial. Insurers settle more readily when they know the case in front of them is ready for a jury. We pursue every case on contingency, so clients do not cover litigation costs themselves.
What Is Important To Understand About Insurance Bad Faith Cases?
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Insurance Bad Faith Cases
Every insurance policy carries an obligation to handle claims honestly and with reasonable care for the policyholder's interests. A carrier that breaks that obligation can be liable for harm beyond the unpaid claim. Depending on the facts, a recovery may include:
- The policy benefits that should have been paid.
- Interest on payments the insurer withheld.
- Additional damage to the property that worsened because repairs were delayed.
- Financial losses that flowed from the insurer's conduct, such as temporary housing or lost business income.
Liability depends on reasonableness. An honest disagreement about the value of a repair is not bad faith on its own. A pattern of delay, an offer the carrier's own documents contradict, or a denial issued without an inspection points toward something more. A bad faith claim usually follows the resolution of the underlying coverage dispute, so the contract claim must be preserved first. Under Florida's statute of limitations, an owner has five years from the date of loss to sue for breach of a property insurance contract.
What Are Important Aspects of an Insurance Bad Faith Case?
For an insurance bad faith lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, these cases are won or lost on documentation. The policyholder's own conduct matters too, because insurers often argue that the owner caused the delay.
- The claim file: Dates of every call, letter, inspection, and payment show whether the carrier acted promptly.
- The owner's cooperation: Timely responses to document requests and inspections undercut the insurer's best defense.
- The carrier's track record: Complaint data in the NAIC complaint database can show whether an insurer has drawn similar complaints from other policyholders.
- Who handled the claim: Claims passed among several adjusters, or assigned to an outside firm, often show gaps that help explain the delay.
- Recent legislation: Florida has changed its bad faith rules several times since 2022, and courts are still applying those changes.
What Is the Insurance Bad Faith Case Timeline?
A bad faith case takes longer than a standard claim because it has two stages. The first resolves coverage and the amount owed. The second addresses the insurer's conduct.
- The owner files the claim and the carrier investigates.
- The carrier delays, underpays, or denies, and we demand payment.
- The coverage dispute is resolved through negotiation, appraisal, or a lawsuit.
- We give the insurer formal notice of its conduct and an opportunity to correct it.
- If the insurer does not cure, the bad faith claim proceeds through litigation.
The 2026 appellate rulings on Florida's insurance reforms may also affect how long each stage takes.
What Should You Bring to Your Insurance Bad Faith Consultation?
A bad faith case depends on the timeline, so bring anything that shows dates. Useful records include:
- The policy, declarations page, and every letter or email from the insurer.
- A log of calls with the adjuster, including names and dates, if you kept one.
- Estimates, photos, and invoices for repairs or temporary housing.
- Any reservation of rights letter, appraisal demand, or request for an examination under oath that the carrier sent.
We will walk through the claim history with you and explain whether the carrier's conduct appears to cross the line from a disagreement into bad faith. Many owners are unsure when to hire a lawyer, and the answer usually becomes clear during this first review.
Broward County Courthouse and Local Resources
Bad faith lawsuits involving Fort Lauderdale property go before the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit, which sits at the Broward County Courthouse downtown. An insurance bad faith attorney in Fort Lauderdale also draws on county records for evidence. Recorded deeds and mortgages, which confirm ownership and insurable interest, are maintained by the county's Records Division. Insurers sometimes question whether the claimant owned the property on the date of loss, or whether a lender should be named on a payment, and these records answer both questions quickly. When a dispute involves a repair contractor rather than the insurer, Broward County Consumer Protection investigates and mediates complaints about services performed in the county.
Reach Out to The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers to Schedule a Consultation
When an insurer stops treating a claim fairly, our Fort Lauderdale, FL insurance bad faith lawyer can help. The People's Law Team, PA Property Damage Lawyers charges no fee unless we recover for you. Bring your claim records to a free consultation, and we will explain what the insurer owed you and what it did instead. Contact us to schedule a time to meet.
