The courthouse
Jefferson County’s courts sit at the Jefferson Combined Court, 100 Jefferson County Parkway, Golden, CO 80401. The county is part of the 1st Judicial District, which also includes Gilpin County.
IT'S MORE THAN MONEY.
Lakewood Bad Faith Insurance Lawyers for Claims Your Insurer Won’t Resolve
You kept paying for coverage so that we could handle a loss like this one. If your insurer has left a covered claim unpaid, turned it down, or offered much less than the loss, Colorado law may let you hold it accountable. Call (303) 209-9395 and tell us where things stand.
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(303) 209-9395
Lakewood, Jefferson County
Why policyholders call us
CGH Injury Lawyers represents Lakewood residents against insurers that deny, delay, or underpay claims without a reasonable basis. Your first conversation with us is free, and we do not get paid unless we win.
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Maybe hail tore through your roof and the adjuster’s number still won’t pay for the repair. A Lakewood bad faith insurance lawyer can review how your insurer handled the claim and whether it had a reasonable basis for each decision it made.
Our firm, CGH Injury Lawyers, takes Lakewood cases from its Denver office. Phone (303) 209-9395 or fill in the contact page with the basics of your claim.
This page provides content for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always consult a licensed attorney for advice specific to your situation.
What This Page Covers
- The difference between Colorado’s two bad faith claims
- Jefferson County’s courthouse and the Lakewood records that can back up a claim
- The six steps we follow when we take on a case
- Money you can seek under the statute and the common law
- Insurer defenses you may hear, plus the time limits for suing
Key Takeaways
- Your insurer must deal with you fairly. Colorado’s pattern jury instructions describe a duty of good faith and fair dealing that an insurer owes the people it insures (Colorado Civil Jury Instructions, ch. 25).
- The statutory test is whether a reasonable basis existed. State law bars an insurer from unreasonably delaying or denying a covered benefit, and it treats a decision with no reasonable basis as unreasonable (C.R.S. 10-3-1115).
- The statute lets you seek twice the benefit. If your claim was unreasonably delayed or denied, you can seek twice the covered benefit, plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs (C.R.S. 10-3-1116).
- Two claims can travel together. One set of facts may support both the statutory claim and the common-law claim.
- Dates decide deadlines. The common-law claim generally carries a two-year limit, and when that period began, it can be contested, so have it checked.
When a Lakewood Claim Stops Moving
You reported the loss right away and sent what the adjuster asked for. Weeks later the file is still “under review,” or the check that finally arrived covers a fraction of the bids you collected.
That might be a car stolen from your driveway, a small shop closed after a covered loss or a roof that still leaks after a hailstorm. In each case, the statute asks whether the insurer had a reasonable basis for its position.
You don’t need to know the legal labels before you call. These are worth pulling together first:
- Your policy, including the declarations page and any endorsements
- Every denial letter, estimate, and email from the insurer
- A list of calls with dates and the names of the people you spoke with
- Repair bids, receipts, and photos of the damage
With those papers in hand, we can map the claim from the first report to the latest letter. That map can help show where the handling went off track, if it did.
Common law vs. statute
Common Law and Statutory Bad Faith, Side by Side
Colorado gives a policyholder two distinct claims against an insurer that mishandles a claim. The jury instructions describe the statutory right as separate from, and an addition to, the common-law claim (Colorado Civil Jury Instructions, ch. 25). Our Colorado bad faith insurance lawyer page covers both claims in more depth.
| Question | Common-law claim | Statutory claim |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Colorado case law, beginning with Travelers Insurance Co. v. Savio (1985) | Sections 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116 of the insurance code |
| Burden | Unreasonable conduct, and the insurer knew it or recklessly disregarded it | A covered benefit delayed or denied with no reasonable basis |
| Remedy | Losses the insurer’s conduct caused | A suit for two times the covered benefit, with reasonable attorney fees and court costs |
The statute’s standard
Section 10-3-1115(1)(a) of the Colorado Revised Statutes forbids an insurer from unreasonably delaying or denying payment of benefits it owes to a first-party claimant. Under subsection (2), conduct is unreasonable when the insurer had no reasonable basis for it.
The protection belongs to people claiming under coverage that insures them. Anyone pursuing someone else’s liability policy is excluded from the definition, so a claim against the at-fault driver’s carrier generally isn’t covered (C.R.S. 10-3-1115(1)(b)). A Lakewood car accident lawyer can help with the claim against the driver after a crash, which runs separately.
The common-law standard
The Colorado Supreme Court set the common-law test in Savio. You have to show that the insurer acted unreasonably and that it either knew as much or recklessly disregarded it.
The statutory claim stops at the first half of that test. The knowledge element is what makes the common-law claim the harder one to prove.
Local Knowledge
Lakewood, Jefferson County, and the Records Behind Your Claim
Jefferson County lists Lakewood among its cities and towns. The right place to sue an insurer isn’t the same in every case; it can turn on where you live and where the company operates.
Hospital records
If your insurer pushes back on a medical bill, the emergency and inpatient chart can help show what care you needed. St. Anthony Hospital, at 11600 W 2nd Pl in Lakewood, appears at Level I on the trauma facility list kept by Colorado’s public health department.
Fire and incident reports
West Metro Fire Rescue names the City of Lakewood among the communities it serves. If its crews came to your fire, the district takes requests through an online fire or incident report form, and that report may help show what happened.
Where these disputes tend to begin. A Lakewood claim can turn into a bad faith question in several ways:
- A hail or wind claim where the payment falls short of the contractor’s estimate
- A stolen-vehicle claim that stalls while the insurer repeats questions you’ve already answered
- A business interruption claim for a shop that had to close after a covered loss
- A claim under the uninsured motorist coverage on your own car policy
Why CGH
Why Lakewood Clients Choose CGH Injury Lawyers
Cases are built for a courtroom
We get each case ready as though it will go to trial, and Managing Partner Kevin Cheney is an ABOTA member (American Board of Trial Advocates).
Our Denver office
We’re at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, Denver, CO 80205; there’s no Lakewood location.
Spanish-language help
Our Spanish line is (303) 835-9177.
How we handle your case
Our Process for a Lakewood Bad Faith Claim
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We read everything
We start with coverage, correspondence, and the claim’s timeline.
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We pick the legal route
The facts may fit the common-law claim, the statute, or both at once.
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We put the insurer on formal notice
A written demand goes out.
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We assemble the proof
That means we gather claims-file materials, documentation, and outside expert input when it would help.
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We file in the proper court
For some Lakewood clients, that may be the district court for Jefferson County, at the Jefferson Combined Court in Golden.
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We pursue what the law allows
The unpaid benefit, statutory damages, and attorney fees, where each applies.
Compensation
Damages Available in a Colorado Bad Faith Case
We’ll talk numbers once we’ve read your policy and the claim file. What the law allows depends on which claim you bring.
Statutory recovery
If your claim was unreasonably delayed or denied, C.R.S. 10-3-1116(1) lets you sue in district court to recover reasonable attorney fees, court costs, and two times the covered benefit. A note in the jury instructions says an unreasonably delayed benefit the insurer paid before judgment doesn’t get subtracted from the two-times amount.
Subsection (4) of the same section keeps other statutory and common-law actions available alongside it.
Common-law damages
Colorado’s pattern instruction asks jurors to weigh:
- Financial losses, both the ones you’ve had and the ones you’ll probably have
- Noneconomic losses or injuries
- Physical impairment or disfigurement, if the evidence supports them
Punitive damages. These may apply in some cases. A note in the instructions makes clear that showing bad faith isn’t enough, standing alone, to establish them.
Insurer defenses
Arguments Lakewood Policyholders Hear From Insurers
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“Looking at it now, our decision was correct”
A Colorado court looks at the insurer’s decision based on the information in front of it at the moment it made that decision. Schultz v. GEICO Casualty Co. is the case the jury instructions rely on for that point.
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“Your claim is fairly debatable."
Your insurer can challenge a fairly debatable claim, even if its decision later turns out to be mistaken. Still, the instructions treat debatability as a factor that weighs against bad faith but, without more, isn’t outcome-determinative or necessarily sufficient to defeat a bad faith claim as a matter of law.
A denial with no reasonable basis behind it doesn’t count as fairly debatable at all.
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“We’re still looking into it."
Your insurer gets time to investigate, up to a point. When months pass with no new questions and no decision, a timeline of each date can help show how long the claim waited for an answer.
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“Send us one more document."
Your insurer can follow up on what you’ve sent. When the same request comes back after you’ve already answered it, a dated record of each thing you sent can help show it.
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Deadlines and next steps
Filing Deadlines for a Lakewood Bad Faith Claim
Colorado classifies common-law bad faith as a tort. Its two-year limit under C.R.S. 13-80-102 generally runs from when you knew, or with reasonable diligence should have known, about both the injury and what caused it.
For the statutory claim, Rooftop Restoration, Inc. v. American Family Mutual Insurance Co. decided one narrow point. The one-year limit in C.R.S. 13-80-103(1)(d) doesn’t govern a suit under section 10-3-1116(1).
Where underinsured motorist benefits are involved, a bad faith claim for nonpayment can’t accrue until you’ve won a judgment against the underinsured driver or settled with that driver. Ask a lawyer to confirm which date applies to you. For more on that coverage, see our Lakewood uninsured motorist lawyer page.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How would I know if I have a bad faith insurance claim in Colorado?
You may have a bad faith insurance claim in Colorado when your insurer delayed or denied a covered benefit without a reasonable basis. For the common-law version, you’d also need to show the insurer knew its conduct was unreasonable or recklessly disregarded that fact.
My hail claim was paid, but far below the repair estimate. Can that be bad faith?
Under the statute, it can be if the insurer had no reasonable basis for holding back the rest of the covered benefit. Its estimate and stated reasons, set against your repair bids, can help show whether it did.
Can I use the bad faith statute against another driver’s insurer?
Generally not, because the statute’s definition leaves out people making a claim against someone else’s liability policy. It’s aimed at coverage that protects you, such as your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.
Does the statute apply to every kind of insurance?
No. Among other limits, C.R.S. 10-3-1115 doesn’t apply to workers’ compensation, title insurance, or life insurance issued under article 7 of Title 10. Home, auto, and health and disability claims may fall within it, depending on the facts.
Which court would hear a Lakewood bad faith case?
It depends on your facts, including your home address and where the insurer operates. For a Lakewood policyholder, one possibility is the district court for Jefferson County, at the Jefferson Combined Court in Golden.
Is CGH Injury Lawyers located in Lakewood?
No. Our office is at 2701 Lawrence St., Suite 201, in Denver, and we represent Lakewood clients from there. Call (303) 209-9395 to reach us.
Keep Reading
Related pages
It's More Than Money.
Speak With a Lakewood Bad Faith Insurance Attorney
Sitting down with a bad faith insurance An attorney is a way to find out whether the insurer’s handling crosses Colorado’s line. Phone (303) 209-9395, or send a short summary through the contact page.
If your situation involves a different kind of injury, our Lakewood personal injury lawyers page covers it.
Written by CGH Injury Lawyers.
Last reviewed: September 21, 2026.
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.