Expert: Anne - 3/23/2008

Question
following up on my previous question, it sounds as if the SI is going to deny my claim and i don't have the money for an attorney. i would rather keep this out of court. what happens step by step when withdrawing a claim?  and if so, what consequences are there? for example, can the insurance company raise my rates, cancel my policy, or file charges against me?

Answer
Hello Jerry,

Every insurance company have different steps for withdrawing a claim. Every state has different requirements also. Most states however, allow you to write a letter telling them that you no longer want to file a claim. You can contact a lawyer that can draft this letter for you for not that much (some will do it from less than $100). You really need to have legal advice doing this.

If your insurance company has evidence that there is fraud and that the claims was misrepresented in anyway, then can cancel your policy, or they can chose to not renew your policy. They can also raise your premium if they believe that you are more of a risk to insured than they previously anticipated.

can the file charges? They can if their evidence is strong that you were doing something wrong. Simply not wanting to give a recorded statement is not enough, but having witnesses and other significant evidence can be enough for them to turn the file to the prosecutors office. This only happens in the very extreme cases. If you are worry about this, then you absolutely need to talk to an attorney.

Good Luck,
Anne,

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