Practice Areas
- Personal Injury
- Automobile Accidents
- Wrongful Death
- Product Liability
- Medical Malpractice
- Premises Liability
- Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
- Industrial Accidents and Worker’s Compensation
Van Dorn Blog 
Automobile Accidents
- Appeals Court Upholds $16 Million Bad Faith Claim Against Allstate
- Insurance Institute Conducts Pickup Truck Safety Tests
- New Hampshire Man Dies In Motorcycle Accident
- Vermont Makes Roads Safer
- Laconia Motorcycle Week
- New Hampshire Motorcycle Safety Awareness Campaign
- True Story
Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
Medical Malpractice
Personal Injury
- Senate Passes Safety Bill for Toys
- Research Your Potential Personal Injury Attorney
- I Call Insurance Company Rules!
- HR 6126: The Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act
- Three Injured in Separate ATV Accidents
- Insurance Companies and Personal Injury Lawyers
- Unethical Lawyers
- "...an informed client is our best client."
- New Hampshire Personal Injury Law
- Beware of Settlement Mills
Attorney Fees
General
Samples Cases
Automobile Accidents
$875,000 recovered for man injured in automobile/bicycle accident
$750,000 recovered for rear-end auto accident resulting in back surgery
Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
Industrial Accidents and Worker’s Compensation
$1,400,000 recovered for victim of industrial accident
Other
$600,000 recovered for man injured in logging accident
$1,600,000 Settlement for Civil Rights Case
Legal News
Little progress in bridge repairs across US...
Two Window Washers Die in Accident at NYC Building...
Appeals Court Upholds $16 Million Verdict Against Allstate...
Insurance tests raise questions about some pickups...
Allstate Ranks as Worst Insurer for Consumers...
Drew Griffin Tonight - "Keeping them Honest."...
Manchester New Hampshire man dies in motorcycle accident...
Teen fleeing Rottweiler fractures skull...
2008 Presidential Candidates Respond to Ten Questions About Their Health Care Reform Proposals...
Top Ten Worst Insurers In America - New report finds pattern of bad faith and unfair dealing by insurance companies
When you purchase an insurance policy and pay your premiums, your insurance company owes you a duty of good faith and fair dealing. If you get injured, insurance acts as a safety net to protect you and your family. Yet, insurance companies are also in it for profit. For some insurance companies, that is their main objective. There then becomes a conflict of interest between the insurance company and the policy holder. Insurance companies make less money when they payout claims for their policy holders. Some insurance companies will find ways to deny claims. A new report conducted by the American Association of Justice lists the top ten worst insurance companies for consumers.
According to this report, the top ten worst companies in order are Allstate, Unum, AIG, State Farm, Conseco, WellPoint, Farmers, UnitedHealth, Torchmark and Liberty Mutual. The report was based on SEC records, FBI documents, court records and testimony from current and former employees of the named companies. According to the report, these companies use tactics like rewarding claims reps for denying, and delaying customer claims. The report also notes that several of the companies hired consulting firms to increase their profits. According to the report, the consulting firms recommended the companies find ways to reject claims because the more that’s paid out in insurance claims, the less profit the company makes.
Though this report reveals some disturbing tactics used by insurance companies, it is important to understand that not every denied claim is a result of bad faith or unfair dealing. A bad faith claim arises when the insurance company is unreasonable in their dealings with a policy holder’s claim. Such unreasonable actions can include denying a claim based on inadequate investigations, prolonged delays in paying a claim, requiring a policy holder to fulfill requirements that aren’t in the policy, and offering a policy holder an unreasonable or inadequate payout.
If you have been injured and you are having difficulties getting your insurance company to pay benefits, you may want to consult with a personal injury attorney who is experienced in dealing with these issues. If the attorney suspects your insurance company is being unreasonable in their handling of your claim, the attorney may consider filing a claim against your insurer. Generally, these types of claims take one of two forms. Your attorney can file a breach of contract claim against your insurance company or a bad faith claim. If your attorney is successful in litigating your claim, you may be entitled to punitive damages, or extra damages designed to punish the insurance company for their actions. Click here to see the full American Association of Justice report on the Ten Worst Insurance Companies in America.
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Van Dorn & Curtiss
633 Main Street
Route 10
P.O. Box 263
Orford, NH 03777-0263
Phone: (866) 632-8980
FAQs
Personal Injury
- Am I eligible for a personal injury lawsuit?
- How do the attorneys determine how much my personal injury claim may be worth?
- When I meet with a personal injury attorney for my first consultation, what information should I provide?
Automobile Accidents
- I was in an automobile accident and the payout offered by the insurance company seems low. What should I do?
- I was injured in a car accident and it was the other driver's fault. They didn't have insurance...what can I do?
- I was injured in a car accident and my car sustained very little visual damage. The other driver was at fault and their insurance company is denying my claim. They say because there was so little damage to the car, I am lying about my injury...what can I do?
Wrongful Death
- I recently lost a loved one in an accident. What are my rights?
- How do I bring a wrongful death claim?
- What is a survival action?
Medical Malpractice
- Is it true that legislators are attempting to limit medical malpractice recovery in New Hampshire?
- What are some specific types of medical malpractice?
- My spouse recently died while being treated at a hospital. I think the hospital did something wrong, but the hospital won't release the medical records...what can I do?
Premises Liability
- Are hotels responsible for criminal acts that take place on their property?
- What is premises liability?
- I was injured on someone else's property...now what?
Dog Bites/Pet Attacks
- My child was bitten by a neighbor's dog and the neighbor refuses to pay the medical bills. What should I do?
- How many people are bitten by dogs each year?
- What is the one-bite rule?