Sage Advice - Relentless Recovery 

Ensuring Proper Liability Coverage

Liability coverage should protect and indemnify the policyholder and its third-party beneficiaries (such as affiliates, officers, directors and employees) from claims made by third parties. Disputes involving this coverage differ from first-party coverage, where only reimbursement of a covered loss is involved. Here, the insurance policy should also provide the insured with some form of defense against civil tort claims and other matters. The duty to defend is a complicated area of the law with many nuances. If you have questions about whether your policy affords a defense, and especially if a defense has been denied or the insurance company has otherwise reserved its rights, it is important to seek help from an experienced lawyer who understands your rights and how to effectively secure for your company or your people any defense or indemnity to which they are entitled.

At The Law Offices of Orin H. Lewis, PLLC, the firm is committed to protecting the rights of the insured. Attorney Orin H. Lewis brings a quarter-century of legal experience to liability coverage disputes. The firm is dedicated to putting this skill and experience to work for you.

Asserting Insurance Policy Protections

Like first-party coverage, the law concerning liability coverage provides additional protections for the unique circumstances faced by the policyholder or other insured in this setting, including the right to independent counsel in the event the insurer wrongly denies a defense or when there is a conflict of interest between the insured and the insurer. An insurer may also be liable to the insured for a judgment or settlement, including amounts in excess of policy limits, if the insurer had previously rejected a reasonable demand from the claimant in the underlying dispute that was within policy limits (commonly referred to in the industry as a Stowers demand).

Contact the Firm For Help With Your Insurer’s Duty to Defend or Indemnify

If an insurer has wrongfully refused to defend you, notified you of a reservation of its rights, has exercised its control over the defense of a claim to reject a reasonable settlement offer, or simply refused to pay a covered claim, discover the difference a tenacious advocate for the insured can make for you. Call 713 423 6772 or complete the online contact form. From its Houston headquarters, the firm represents businesses and non-profits across Texas and throughout the United States.