Insurance Coverage Disputes

A denial of coverage is not the final word simply because it appears on insurer letterhead. Insurers may deny claims based on exclusions, notice issues, alleged misrepresentation, policy conditions, causation, vacancy, wear and tear, intentional conduct, proof of loss issues, or the position that the loss falls outside the policy.

The question is whether the denial is supported by the actual policy wording, the facts, and the insurer’s obligations. That requires careful review before the insured accepts the decision or abandons the claim.

Our lawyers assist individuals and businesses by reviewing denial letters, policies, endorsements, adjuster correspondence, pleadings, and claim records. The goal is to identify whether the insurer’s position is legally and factually defensible.

When coverage has been denied, we help clients challenge unsupported positions and pursue the protection they paid for.

A reservation of rights letter can sound routine. It is not. It often means the insurer is participating in the claim while preserving the ability to deny coverage later.

That creates uncertainty for the insured. Who controls the defence? What costs are being covered? What issues are being reserved? Can the insurer withdraw? Is independent counsel required? Is the insurer’s position properly grounded in the policy? Is a non-waiver agreement being requested, and what does it change?

We assist clients who receive reservation of rights letters by reviewing the policy, the claim, the reservation language, the non-waiver language where applicable, and the practical risk created by the insurer’s position.

Our lawyers help clients respond strategically and preserve their rights before the coverage issue hardens.

Being sued is expensive. Being sued while your insurer refuses to defend you is worse.

In many liability claims, the insurer’s duty to defend may arise before anyone knows whether the insured will ultimately be liable or whether the insurer must pay the final loss. The focus is often on the policy and the allegations made in the claim. That distinction matters.

We assist individuals and businesses where an insurer refuses to appoint defence counsel, refuses to fund defence costs, or takes the position that the lawsuit falls outside coverage. These disputes often require careful review of the statement of claim, policy wording, exclusions, endorsements, and correspondence with the insurer.

We help clients challenge improper refusals to defend and seek the policy protection they paid for when litigation arrives.

Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies, often called CGL policies, are supposed to protect businesses when claims arise from operations, premises, products, completed work, bodily injury, property damage, or alleged negligence. But coverage disputes often arise when the business needs protection most.

Insurers may rely on exclusions, contractual liability arguments, workmanship issues, late notice, intentional act allegations, or narrow readings of the pleadings. The dispute may involve whether the insurer must defend the lawsuit, contribute to settlement, indemnify the insured, or participate under a reservation of rights.

We assist businesses by reviewing CGL policies, pleadings, denial letters, reservation letters, non-waiver agreements, and insurer correspondence. We focus on the practical question: what protection does the policy require the insurer to provide now?

Our lawyers help businesses challenge coverage positions that leave them exposed to defence costs, settlement pressure, or avoidable risk.

Property insurance disputes often begin after a loss has already created financial pressure. Fire, theft, water damage, vandalism, storm damage, flood damage, and business interruption can affect repairs, operations, cash flow, housing, contents, inventory, equipment, and peace of mind.

Insurers may deny or limit coverage based on exclusions, causation, maintenance, vacancy, fraud concerns, proof of loss issues, valuation disputes, or alleged non-compliance with policy conditions. Those positions should be tested against the policy and the evidence.

We assist homeowners, condo owners, landlords, tenants, and businesses with first-party property coverage disputes. Our work includes reviewing policy wording, denial letters, adjuster reports, expert evidence, repair estimates, proof of loss materials, valuation materials, and insurer communications.

Our lawyers help clients pursue the coverage available for insured property losses and challenge premature or unsupported denials.

Insurance disputes are not always about one denial letter. Sometimes the problem is the way the claim is handled: delay, incomplete investigation, shifting explanations, unreasonable document requests, low valuation, failure to communicate, underpayment, or pressure to accept a compromised result.

Claims handling matters because the insurer controls much of the process. The insured often depends on the insurer’s investigation, assessment, and payment decisions while dealing with loss, litigation, repairs, or business disruption.

Our lawyers assist clients by reviewing the claim history, correspondence, adjuster conduct, timelines, requests for information, expert reports, and the insurer’s stated reasons for its position. The goal is to determine whether the insurer’s handling of the claim is reasonable and properly grounded.

Where the facts support it, claims handling concerns may also raise bad faith insurance issues. We help clients respond where the process itself has become part of the problem.

Insurance coverage is not always all-or-nothing. An insurer may dispute whether it must pay the final judgment or settlement, but still have obligations to respond to the claim, investigate it, or defend the insured while the underlying lawsuit proceeds.

That distinction can matter enormously. Defence costs can become a major burden before the merits of the lawsuit are ever decided. If the insured treats the duty to defend and the duty to indemnify as the same issue, they may give up protection the policy may still provide.

We assist clients by reviewing the pleadings, policy wording, exclusions, reservation letters, non-waiver agreements, denial letters, and the insurer’s stated position. We focus on what the insurer must do now, not only what it may owe at the end.

Our lawyers help insureds secure the policy benefits available when a claim is made against them.