Insurance Bad Faith and Disability Law

  1. Austin Mehr Named 2012 Kentucky Super Lawyer
    Austin Mehr was recently selected to participate in the 2012 Kentucky Super Lawyer list. Less than 5 percent of Kentucky lawyers are named to the list, which selects attorneys based on their reputation and performance.
  2. Austin Mehr Named Top Litigation Lawyer
    Austin Mehr was recently honored by the American Society of Legal Advocates (ASLA). Austin was selected by ASLA as one of the Top 100 Litigation Lawyers in Kentucky for 2013.

    This selection comes shortly on the heels of being invited to join the National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Membership is by selection only and extended to those with "superior qualifications, trial results, and leadership".
  3. Life Insurance Applications Up
    application activity for individually underwritten life insurance rose +1.5% in September, year-over-year, all ages combined, according to the MIB Life Index.

    Find out more here.
  4. Failure to Pay Tops Consumer Complaints About Insurance
    Wolters Kluwer Financial Service released the results of their annual market survey about insurance conduct. They found that the top complaint for both property insurance and life insurance was the failure pay or acknowledge claims. The rest of the lists can be found here.
  5. Cost of Health Coverage Growing Faster Than Wages
    From Dayton Daily News:

    The cost of employer-sponsored family health coverage has increased nearly four times as much as wages and inflation since 1999, a national employer survey released Tuesday found.

    Read more here.
  6. Understanding Your Insurance Policy
    This is a great pamphlet from the Kentucky Department of Insurance designed to help consumers better understand their insurance policy. The Department of Insurance is a great resource for information, so expect to see more links in the future.

    Get the pamphlet here.
  7. Poll Finds Majority of Americans Feel Secure By Owning Life Insurance, But Broader Benefits Often Overlooked
    Find out more about the poll here.
  8. Austin Mehr Bad Faith Seminars
    Austin has performed several seminars to lawyers across Kentucky, covering the topic of bad faith insurance law. Using the latest technology and mixed media and a snappy introduction, attendees were captivated by his presentation.

    Kentucky attorneys interested in attending one of these seminars should consult the KBA website for upcoming CLE opportunities or contact their local bar association to suggest scheduling a seminar. Inquiries can be sent to Mehr Trial Lawyers through our website.
  9. Minnesota Life Insurers Fined for Bad Behavior
    Minnesota life insurers were fined by the Department of Commerce last week.
    State insurance regulators have sanctioned four of the largest life insurance companies that operate in Minnesota for allegedly steering death-benefit recipients to keep the money in special accounts the companies run, instead of taking lump sum payouts.
  10. The Auto Insurance Case That Blew Up On the Internet
    A balanced take on the case that exploded on the internet when Matt Fisher wrote the blog post "My Sister Paid Progressive Insurance to Defend Her Killer In Court".
  11. Arizona Court Reduces Limit on Punitive Damages in Bad Faith Cases
    An Arizona court has recently reduced the limit on damages in bad faith insurance litigation to a 1:1 ratio with compensatory damages. Given the regulatory role of punitive damage awards in bad faith litigation this seems like a bad idea. Potentially large punitive awards are necessary to regulate the insurance market because of the peculiar nature of its "pay now, claim later" system. Otherwise, insurers have no incentive to act in good faith.
  12. How State Insurance Bureaus Work
    Although this article is specifically about how the Oregon Insurance Division works, it is a pretty good overview for how the system works in many states. Read the article here.
  13. Austin Mehr Selected for "Top Attorney's in Kentucky"
    Austin Mehr has been selected as one of the "Top Attorneys in Kentucky" for 2012, as awarded by American Registry. The honor is only extended to a limited number of attorneys in the state and is designed to "recognize excellence".
  14. Good Faith/Bad Faith-When is the Line Crossed?

    I thought this article covering the basics of bad faith insurance litigation might be helpful.

  15. Baby Boomers and ERISA
    Interesting article about the effect ERISA might have by requiring people over 70 to exit the stock market. Imagine the consequences these regulations might have as Baby Boomers reach that age and start pulling money from the market.

    Read More Here
  16. Handling Crop Insurance in a Drought
    The severe drought affecting many areas of the country is certain to hurt some crop yields. If you have crop insurance, it's important to know what your options for handling the situation are. This article from The University of Missouri College of Food & Natural Resources might help.


  17. Can (and Should) an Insurance Defense Attorney Be Held Liable for Insurance Bad Faith?
    Interesting article from Chad Marzen of Florida State University. He argues that defense attorneys should not be liable for insurance bad faith. What do you think?

  18. Disability Insurance a Must
    CBS News Boston explains why most people need disability insurance.
  19. No Privilege for Employer-Insurer In Texas
    The Supreme Court of Texas has determined that there is generally no attorney-client privilege for communications between an employer and an attorney for their insurance provider. The court went on to state that, although they had not recognized a such a privilege, "under certain circumstances, communications between an insurer and its insured may be shielded from discovery by the attorney-client privilege." However, they declined to do so in this instance and did not elaborate on this statement.
  20. Supreme Court Will Look at ERISA Next Term
    The Supreme Court has announced that they will be looking at equitable remedies under ERISA Section 502(a)(3) during their next term. The case is U.S. Airways Inc. v. McCutchen, 663 F.3d 671 (3d Cir. 2011). You can find the 3rd Circuit opinion here.