does my attorney have to disclose how many ins. policies the defendants have?

by Dr. Mireya Boyer I 10 min read

Before you file a lawsuit, the defendant has no duty to disclose to you or your personal injury attorney the amount of his policy limit. Only if the defendant authorizes it can his insurance adjuster disclose the amount of the policy limit. Sometimes the defendant authorizes disclosure, sometimes the defendant doesn't.

Before you file a lawsuit, the defendant has no duty to disclose to you or your personal injury attorney the amount of his policy limit. Only if the defendant authorizes it can his insurance adjuster disclose the amount of the policy limit. Sometimes the defendant authorizes disclosure, sometimes the defendant doesn't.Mar 1, 2011

Full Answer

Does the insurance company have to disclose the policy limit?

Mar 01, 2011 · In answering the interrogatory, the defendant must disclose all insurance policies which might apply to your injury claim, including umbrella policies, and each policy's limit. Before You File a Lawsuit. Before you file a lawsuit, the defendant has no duty to disclose to you or your personal injury attorney the amount of his policy limit.

Should defendants have to disclose insurance coverage information to opponents?

6 hours ago · Under the original version of the Act, amended CPLR 3101(f) required defendants to disclose “the existence and contents of any insurance agreement under which any person or entity may be liable to satisfy part or all of a judgment that may be entered in the action or to indemnify or reimburse for payments made to satisfy the entry of the ...

Do I have to disclose my insurance in my personal injury claim?

Jun 12, 2018 · Thus, the authors of the Law 360 article note, “the rationale for disclosure of insurance policies is tied to an early assessment of a defendant’s ability or possible inability to pay a judgment or settlement based on the merits of the case.” The authors further note that other than the insurance coverage information, defendants are not obliged to disclosed any other …

How can I find out the policy limit of a defendant?

Jun 05, 2012 · Do Defendants have to disclose their insurance policy information to Plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit in Arizona? Are there any Arizona-based statutes or rules of which requires a Defending party to disclose an insurance policy (policy limits) to Plaintiff once a personal injury lawsuit has commenced in civil court?

Are insurance policies confidential?

For example, in California, the terms of an insurance policy are confidential and proprietary between the insurer and insured.

Are insurance policies discoverable in California?

If attempts to obtain discovery on defendant's insurance coverage are resisted, a plaintiff would have strong grounds to make a motion to compel and for an award of sanctions. California statute expressly provides that insurance information is discoverable.

Does an insurance company have to disclose policy limits in Florida?

In most cases, no. It depends on the liability insurer involved and the particular adjuster who is handling the claim. However, most of the time that insurance company will probably not tell the claimant the policy limits unless it is requested in writing.Oct 7, 2020

Does an insurance company have to disclose policy limits in New York?

Yes. N.Y. Ins. Law §§ 2601 and 3420 (McKinney 2000) provide that insurers must disclose the bodily injury limits of liability of their insured to an individual or that individual's duly authorized representative who has filed a claim for damages against the insured and has made a written request for such information.

Should I disclose my policy limits California?

To disclose insurance policy limits First and foremost, it may prevent the entire litigation process — saving you time and money. Likewise, because your insurance policy limit is an essential component of evaluating a personal injury case, disclosing the limit facilitates productive settlement discussions.Oct 12, 2021

Is a reservation of rights letter discoverable in California?

26 Advisory Committee note (1983 Amendments) (emphasis added). Indeed, other courts have relied upon the plain language of the Rule to conclude that other insurance-related documents, including reservation-of-rights letters, are not discoverable.Aug 25, 2020

What is a demand for policy limits?

A 'policy limit demand' in a personal injury case requests the insurance company to pay the full policy limits or risk their insured's financial stability.Nov 29, 2021

How do I find out someone's insurance limit in Florida?

You should be able to learn someone's insurance policy limits by contacting their insurance company. The company may generally contact you following your accident. In time, they should tell you what the at-fault party's insurance policy limits are.

What is a hammer letter?

A “hammer letter” is a letter written by or on behalf of the insured or excess insurer, that clearly and unequivocally (1) demands that the primary insurer settle the claim or suit within primary policy limits, and (2) warns that a failure to do so would leave the primary insurer responsible to pay any ultimate ...Jul 25, 2016

Why Insurers Need to Be Careful Responding to Policy Limits Requests

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A demand for policy limits information often occurs shortly after anaccident or "occurrence" in which someone suffers harm, blamesanother, and seeks compensation. Usually, an attorney or public adjustercontacts the insurance company asking for policy limits. Persons experienced atthe process ask for all p
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Policy Limits Demands and Settlement Demands

  • A demand for policy limits is not a settlement demand; rather, it is whatthe plaintiff asserts she must have to settle a case. If the settlement demandis within policy limits, the insurer rejects the demand, litigates the case,experiences a judgment in excess of policy limits but refuses to indemnify itsown insured for the full judgment, the insurer invites a lawsuit for bad faithrefusal t…
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Powell v. Prudential

  • First, in Powell, an auto insured by Prudential and driven byPowell's daughter struck two pedestrians, one of whom was seriouslyinjured. Shortly after the accident, the victim's attorney sent a letter toPrudential asking for policy limits. Getting no response, he sent a secondletter, certified this time, and informing Prudential: Prudential did not respond, so the attorney sent a th…
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Boicourt v. Amex

  • In Boicourt, decided 9 years later, following an accident, aninjured passenger in a vehicle sought policy limits information from theinsurer, Amex. Despite a California law requiring an insurer to contact theinsured and get permission to disclose policy limits when demanded by aclaimant, Amex never consulted its insured during three attempts over a 5-monthperiod by the injured part…
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Lessons Learned

  • Insurers deal with policy demands and other aspects of claim administrationdaily. This day-to-day experience teaches that many claimants cannot affordattorneys to litigate on their behalf to force disclosure of the information;consequently, their claims may settle for substantially less than their truevalue, thereby benefiting the insurer. On the other hand, some claimants whocan afford it m…
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Conclusion

  • An insurer's failure to reveal policy limits at the pre-litigation stagecan serve as a basis for bad faith actions. Moreover, while insurers maygenerally anticipate such actions from third parties, and since failure todisclose policy limits may be construed as resolving a conflict of interestfavoring the insurance company's economic interests over those of itspolicyholders, an i…
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