Richard Voorhies, Your Hurricane Lawyer:

Hurricane Claims / Bad Faith

In 2006, the Louisiana legislature amended the pre-existing insurance bad faith laws to include stiffer penalties and sanctions against insurance carriers who mistreat their insureds.  Under Louisiana's bad faith statutes, an insurance carrier who fails to timely or adequately adjust their insureds claim may be subject to additional penalties/fines including reasonable attorney's fees.  Although Louisiana's bad faith statutes existed pre-Katrina, they were amended in 2006 to reflect the Louisiana legislature's policy of intolerance with regard to insurance companys mishandling of their insured's claims. 

Under the revised bad faith statutes, an insured may recover damages additional damages if the insurance carrier fails either to timely or adequately adjust their insureds claim.  In most instances, the insurance carrier can be subject to bad faith damages where it fails to tender an undisputed amount due to the insured within 30 days of reasonable notice of the loss.   But such a finding can only be made by the trier of fact, i.e., by a judge or jury and, as such, bad faith damages cannot usually be obtained by the insured unless their claim is litigated.   Similarly, an award of attorneys fee's under Louisiana's bad faith statutes cannot usually be obtained without litigating the claim. 

Richard Voorhies has litigated hurricane claims throughout Louisiana, including claimed losses occurring in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Metairie, Lafayette, New Iberia, Loreauville, Delcambre, Gonzales and Arnaudville. 

Contact Richard Voorhies, your hurricane lawyer, today for a free consultation and let him advise you as to your potential for additional recovery for your property damage and any additional losses you sustained because of the effects of a Hurricane or other property damage losses, such as fire loss and hail storm damage.  Find out definitively whether your insurace carrier is acting in good faith pursuant to the terms of your homeowners insurance policy. 

Once Richard has had the opportunity to fully evaluate your hurricane property damage claim, he can accurately assess the prospective amount of compensation that you may be entitled to under your homeowners insurance policy.  Call today and gain the peace of mind of knowing whether your insurance carrier is properly handling your hurricane claim.Like many types of cases, Richard will take your property damage / hurricane loss case on contingency fee, meaning you pay nothing for his fees unless he is able to recover for you (of course, even on contingency fee cases, the client is responsible for all case costs). 

Whether your personal injury claim involves or arises out of an automobile accident / car wreck, chemical exposure, slip and fall / trip and fall, premise liability, toxic tort, wrongful death, truck accident / 18 wheeler wreck, medical malpractice or intentional tort, Richard Voorhies, Attorney at Law can help.

Furthermore, Richard has handled cases for families and businesses located throughout Louisiana, including those arising out of a casualty loss or a business interruption.  From claims involving property damage caused by a hurricane to those to those stemming from an economic loss sustained as a result of the BP oil spill, Richard has the case management paradigm in place to ensure that your financial interests are adequately protected going forward.  And, regardless of the context of your claim, Richard personally handles each case and prides himself in establishing a personal relationship with each of his clients.