Hemlock, NY Personal Injury Law Firms & Lawyers

You can sue in small claims and it's certainly the fastest forum. You have no ability to sue for bad faith. That claim against a 3rd party insurer was abolished many years ago. Be advised, however, that they can appeal any decision (and you cannot) and then it gets re-heard in front of a judge where either or both sides can have an attorney. I recently was involved in one of these and the insurance adjuster showed up at the small claims hearing and was allowed to talk (despite my client's objection). The judge did not award the requested amount (which was absurd in my opinion) and she split the baby. The insurance company paid the amount of the judgment just days later. So while you may expect the full $10,000, don't count on it as judges seemingly are loathe to award a plaintiff all that is requested. But you seemingly have good facts on your side, but you have no idea what they will come up with from their investigation to show that the damage was not all caused from this accident.

You need to ask a complete question. What do you mean by "protecting dependents over 26"? Protecting them from what? What is it that your insurance is refusing to pay? Why are they refusing to pay it? You can probably bring a declaratory judgment action. You need an insurance lawyer.