Generally, whether a liability insurer engaged in bad-faith is a question of fact to be determined based on the totality of factual circumstances.  In other words, there is more to it then the insured being exposed to a verdict / judgment in excess of the insured’s liability policy’s limits since it is based on a totality of circumstances and reasonablness standard.  As explained by the Eleventh Circuit quoting the Florida Supreme Court: “The insurer must investigate the facts, give fair consideration to a settlement offer that is not unreasonable under the facts, and settle, if possible, where a reasonably prudent person, faced with the prospect of paying the total recovery, would do so.”   Moore v. Geico Ins. Co., 2016 WL 736824, *2 (11th Cir. 2016) quoting Berges v. Infinity Ins. Co., 896 So.2d 665, 668-69 (Fla. 2004).   For more on a general understanding of bad-faith claims in Florida, check out this article.  

 

Please contact David Adelstein at dadelstein@gmail.com or (954) 361-4720 if you have questions or would like more information regarding this article. You can follow David Adelstein on Twitter @DavidAdelstein1.