Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media
“Again, from a layman point of view, and just sitting here talking, it seems strange that there would be fraud and arson involved with these cases on a regular basis. I would expect that to be the rare anomaly, not a norm.”
Spencer Freeman – Fire-Loss Attorney – Pierce County, WA
“I think that the existence of arson and insurance fraud, in truth, are a rare anomaly. But that doesn’t mean the insurance companies don’t investigate for them only in those cases. The insurance company’s going to look for red flags that exist, and whether or not those red flags warrant further investigation by the SIU (special investigations unit). Those investigations, often, are in situations where there was no arson, and there was no fraud. But the insurance company may be looking for it or think it’s there. And if they make a determination that it’s there, and it’s a wrong determination, now they’ve really violated their own duties to their own policyholder.”
Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media
“I would expect so, because to me, if that was happening to me, I’d feel like your telling me, ‘hey, I’m accusing you of being a criminal! I’m accusing you of a crime here’. I’d be upset as hell, because you’re my insurance company and you’re taking this stance with me.”
Spencer Freeman – Fire-Loss Attorney – Pierce County, WA
“And that’s how it’s going to feel. For sure. Absolutely!”
Ray Hrdlicka – Host – Attorneys.Media
“Okay. And that’s how your clients feel…”
Spencer Freeman – Fire-Loss Attorney – Pierce County, WA
“Invariably. They feel like they’re being accused of a crime. And when there’s not, from my perspective, when there’s not sufficient evidence to warrant that level of investigation, then they’ve committed bad faith. And there’s a claim against their own insurance company for bad faith claims practices.”
English 
Español de México