ClickCease
Free consultations · Se habla espanol
Arvada, Colorado. CGH Injury Lawyers holds insurance companies accountable for bad faith across Arvada.

IT'S MORE THAN MONEY.

Arvada Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers Holding Insurers Accountable

You paid your premiums. When you filed a claim, your insurance company was supposed to hold up its end. If it denied your claim without a real reason, dragged the process out for months, or offered you a fraction of what your policy actually owes, that is frustrating. Under Colorado law, it may also be illegal.

No fee unless we win
Get My Free Case Review How Colorado bad faith works
Or speak with us now (303) 209-9395

Arvada, Jefferson and Adams Counties

Why policyholders call us

CGH Injury Lawyers represents Arvada policyholders in bad faith insurance disputes, whether the claim involves an auto policy, a homeowners policy, or a disability or health benefit. Your first conversation with us is free, and we do not get paid unless we win.

  • 5.0-star Google rating
  • ABOTA trial advocate on the team
  • Trial-ready, not settlement-shy
  • No fee unless we win
5-star rated on Google ABOTA trial advocate on the team Trial lawyers, not a settlement mill 8 attorneys, bilingual EN / ES
  • Dealing with your own insurance company can feel isolating, especially after an injury or a loss already put you in a difficult spot. We built this firm on the idea that a case is never just a claim number. When an insurer stalls or lowballs an Arvada policyholder, we treat it the way we would want our own family treated: with a straight answer about where the claim stands and a team willing to take it to trial if that is what it takes to get it paid fairly.

Tell us what happened. Call (303) 209-9395.

Common law vs. statute

Common law vs. statute: two ways Colorado lets you hold an insurer accountable

Colorado gives policyholders two separate legal paths against an insurer that mishandles a claim. Depending on the facts, your Arvada claim may support one or both.

Track 1: Common-law bad faith

  • Colorado courts have long recognized that an insurer owes its policyholder a duty of good faith and fair dealing.
  • Under the standard set out by the Colorado Supreme Court in Travelers Insurance Co. v.
  • Savio, a first-party bad faith claim requires showing that the insurer's conduct was unreasonable under the circumstances and that the insurer either knew the conduct was unreasonable or recklessly disregarded that fact.
  • Insurers are allowed to dispute claims that are genuinely "fairly debatable," so the question is usually not whether the insurer's ultimate decision was wrong, but whether it had a real basis for making it.

Track 2: Statutory bad faith

  • Colorado also created a specific statute aimed at unreasonable claim handling.
  • Under C.R.S. § 10-3-1115, an insurer may not unreasonably delay or deny payment of a covered benefit owed to a first-party claimant, meaning a delay or denial made without a reasonable basis.
  • If it does, C.R.S. § 10-3-1116 gives you the right to sue in district court for two times the covered benefit, plus your reasonable attorney fees and court costs.
  • This statute applies to policies issued, offered, or renewed in Colorado on or after August 5, 2008, and it does not cover workers' compensation, title insurance, or life insurance claims.
Local Knowledge

Arvada courts. Arvada trauma care. The claims that turn into bad faith.

Courthouse

Jefferson and Adams counties

Arvada sits in both Jefferson and Adams counties. Under Colorado’s venue rule (C.R.C.P. 98), a lawsuit against an insurer is generally proper in the county where the insurer resides or does business, or, in some cases, in the county where the policyholder resides if the insurer can also be served there. In practice, that often means Jefferson County District Court, part of Colorado’s 1st Judicial District, at the Jefferson Combined Court, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, or, for Arvada residents in the smaller Adams County portion of the city, Adams County District Court, part of the 17th Judicial District, at the Adams County Justice Center in Brighton. The correct venue depends on the specific facts of your case, and we work that out as part of reviewing your claim.

Trauma Care

Where the injury claim starts

Many bad faith disputes start with a serious injury claim that was mishandled after the fact. Arvada sits just east of Intermountain Health’s Lutheran Hospital in Wheat Ridge, a Level II Trauma Center that treats serious injuries from throughout Jefferson County and the west Denver metro. A facility’s trauma designation reflects its own capabilities, not the severity of any individual patient’s injuries, but the detailed imaging, evaluation, and treatment records a trauma center generates become part of the documentation we use to build your claim.

Where It Starts

How these claims begin

Most bad faith claims we see from Arvada begin the same way: a car accident, a fall, or a serious illness generates real medical bills, and the insurance company that was supposed to help either goes quiet, drags its feet past a reasonable timeline, or offers a number that does not come close to covering what is owed. If any of that sounds familiar, it is worth a conversation.

Why CGH

Why Arvada policyholders choose CGH Injury Lawyers

The Statute

C.R.S. §§ 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116

We know Colorado’s own bad faith statute, C.R.S. §§ 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116, and how to prove an insurer’s delay or denial had no reasonable basis.

Real Denver Office

Not a call center.

We are not a call center. CGH Injury Lawyers operates from a real office at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, and we meet Arvada clients by phone, online, or in person.

The Standard

Travelers v. Savio

We hold insurers to the Travelers v. Savio standard: unreasonable conduct, done knowingly or recklessly. We do not accept “we’re still reviewing it” as an answer forever.

Trial-Ready

ABOTA member, 25+ cases tried

As Colorado trial lawyers who prepare every case to be tried, not just settled, our attorneys include Managing Partner Kevin Cheney, a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) with more than 25 cases tried.

Bilingual

English and Spanish

Our team includes a Spanish-speaking associate, and consultations are available in English and Spanish. Se habla español.

No Win, No Fee

Nothing unless we win.

Your first consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we win your case.

How we handle your case

How we build an Arvada bad faith case

  1. Free claim review

    We look at your policy, your insurer's correspondence, and the timeline of what happened, at no cost to you.

  2. We identify the theory

    We determine whether your facts support a common-law bad faith claim, a statutory claim under C.R.S. § 10-3-1116, or both.

  3. We demand what's owed

    In many cases, a formal demand letter from a trial-ready firm is enough to get a stalled claim moving.

  4. We investigate further if needed

    If the insurer still refuses to pay a reasonable amount, we gather the documentation, claims-file materials, and expert input needed to prove the delay or denial was unreasonable.

  5. We file suit if that's what it takes

    We determine the proper venue under Colorado's rules, often Jefferson County District Court, Adams County District Court, or another Colorado venue depending on your facts, and prepare the case to be tried.

  6. We pursue what the law allows,

    including the underlying benefit, statutory damages, and attorney fees where applicable.

Compensation

What can you recover in an Arvada bad faith case?

Statutory recovery (C.R.S. § 10-3-1116)

  • If an insurer unreasonably delayed or denied a covered benefit, you may be entitled to recover two times the covered benefit amount, plus your reasonable attorney fees and court costs, through a district court action.

Common-law recovery

  • A successful common-law bad faith claim can include the amount of the underlying benefit, damages for the harm the insurer's conduct caused beyond the policy limits, and in some cases, additional damages tied to the insurer's conduct.
  • What is actually available in your case depends entirely on your policy, your claim history, and Colorado law.
  • Reputable attorneys do not quote averages, and we won't quote you one before we know your situation.
Insurer defenses

Defenses Arvada insurers raise, and how we answer them

Insurance companies rarely say "we are acting in bad faith." Instead, they lean on a handful of recurring defenses:

  1. "The claim was fairly debatable"

    Whether a claim was genuinely debatable is evidence bearing on whether the insurer's conduct was unreasonable. It is not, by itself, a complete defense. Our job is to show whether the dispute was a genuine one or a pretext for delay or denial.

  2. "We were still investigating"

    An open-ended, unexplained investigation that stretches for months without a reasonable basis is exactly the kind of delay the statute targets.

  3. "The policy doesn't cover this"

    Sometimes it's a real coverage question. Sometimes it's a misreading of the policy used to avoid paying. We read the actual policy language and the underlying law ourselves, rather than taking the denial letter's explanation at face value.

5-star rated on Google

I wish I could leave more than 5 stars!

Grace Macaluso, 5-star Google review
Deadlines and next steps

Protect your Arvada bad faith claim while you still can

Colorado generally gives you two years to bring a bad faith claim, whether common-law or statutory, running from the date you knew or reasonably should have known that your insurer's delay or denial was unreasonable. The Colorado Supreme Court confirmed this two-year period applies to statutory bad faith claims in Rooftop Restoration, Inc. v. American Family Mutual Insurance Co. That general rule can shift based on the specific facts of your claim, including exactly when it accrued and whether any tolling applies, so it's not something to rely on without a real review of your situation. Two years can pass faster than it sounds, especially if you are still dealing with an ongoing dispute. The sooner we look at your claim file, the more options we usually have.

Questions

Arvada insurance bad faith, frequently asked questions

What counts as insurance bad faith in Colorado?

Bad faith generally means your insurer denied, delayed, or underpaid a covered claim without a reasonable basis for doing so. That can include ignoring evidence that supports your claim, dragging out an investigation with no real justification, or offering far less than a claim is actually worth.

How much can I recover for a bad faith claim in Arvada?

It depends on your policy and your facts. Under the statute, you may recover two times the covered benefit plus attorney fees and costs. A common-law claim can include other damages as well. We won't estimate a number before reviewing your specific claim.

What is the difference between common-law and statutory bad faith?

Common-law bad faith is based on decades of Colorado court decisions and requires showing the insurer's conduct was unreasonable and either knowing or reckless. Statutory bad faith, under C.R.S. §§ 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116, is a specific claim for unreasonable delay or denial with its own damages formula. Many claims can pursue both.

Does bad faith come up in Arvada uninsured or underinsured motorist claims?

Yes. UM/UIM claims are a common source of bad faith disputes, because you are effectively asking your own insurer to pay for a loss caused by someone else's underinsured driving, and some insurers resist those claims more than others.

My insurer is just slow. Is delay alone enough for a bad faith claim?

It can be, if the delay is unreasonable given the circumstances. A short delay while an insurer gathers legitimate documentation is different from a delay with no real explanation. We look at the full timeline before drawing a conclusion.

Where is an Arvada bad faith lawsuit filed?

It depends on Colorado's venue rules and the specific facts, including where the insurer does business and where you live and are served. Many Arvada cases are filed in Jefferson County District Court in Golden or Adams County District Court in Brighton. We handle the venue analysis as part of your case.

Keep Reading

Related pages

Arvada

It's More Than Money.

Your insurer broke its promise. We hold it to account.

Tell us what happened. Call (303) 209-9395.

Call (303) 209-9395 Get my free bad-faith case review

Prefer to read first? See how Colorado bad faith law works.

CGH Injury Lawyers · 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205

Cheney Galluzzi & Howard, LLC, d/b/a CGH Injury Lawyers. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case turns on its own facts, injuries, and available insurance coverage. This site is for general information and is not legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship.