Insurer gives insured the benefit of the doubt

Our office was contacted by an insured who had filed a claim for a stolen vehicle that was later recovered. The vehicle had been missing for an extended period and sustained damage while in the possession of the thief. Following a review of the reported damages, the insurer determined that there was insufficient evidence to establish that all the claimed damage resulted from the theft. As a result, only a portion of the repairs was approved for coverage.

Dissatisfied with this outcome, the consumer contacted our office for assistance. We reached out to the insurer to explore whether the benefit of the doubt could be extended in this case, particularly since some of the denied damages were near other damaged body panels that had been accepted as part of the claim. Following a second review of the file, the insurer agreed, as a gesture of good faith, to expand the scope of repairs to include the previously denied damages.