Allstate is the Worst of the Worst

Allstate’s advertising slogan is “You’re in good hands with Allstate.” However, in 1999 the company was exposed for trying to persuade injured people to take less than full recovery for their claims – and those same insurance practices continue to this day.

More than 10 years ago, several states took action against Allstate, alleging deceptive insurance practices, and two class action lawsuits were filed by consumers. Despite those legal cases, Allstate is still engaging in similar practices.

Allstate’s procedures are aimed at holding down the company’s costs in claims payouts. Allstate seeks out injured claimants who have not hired an attorney, and tries to settle claims with them directly in order to produce a lower settlement.

In 1999, the procedure was performed in a number of steps, including:

• Making the injured person believe they were dealing with an advocate, not an adversary;

• Sending letters to anyone not represented by counsel;

• Sending a brochure titled “Do I Need an Attorney?” to claimants who had not retained counsel;

• Rewarding claims representatives based on the percentage of unrepresented claims they processed.

Two primary concerns were raised about Allstate’s policy. First, Allstate failed to disclose the true nature of the relationship between itself and the driver. Allstate referred to the injured driver as its “client,” but that is not true. The injured driver was actually Allstate’s adversary in the claim; the party who had injured the driver was Allstate’s client.

Second, Allstate was talking to injured motorists about whether an attorney was needed for their claim. They were also advising accident victims about the statute of limitations deadline for their claims. Giving that type of advice is usually considered an unauthorized practice of law.

After over a decade, Allstate still follows many practices aimed at tricking claimants without attorneys into a settlement that s lower than they deserve.

If you have been injured by a driver who is insured by Allstate, you may need the advice of an attorney. If you have legal questions, contact the Frank Jenkins Law Office today. It’s our job to fight for your rights so that you can concentrate on your health and family, while we deal with the insurers and those responsible for your injuries. Call us today at 1-800-CAR-WRECK or contact us via email.

Another Win for Kentucky Workers!

I believe that when a lawyer takes a case, he should be willing to take it all the way. Sometimes that means all the way to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

We were hired by a nice lady who was injured at the American Greetings factory. She tried to get lost wage and medical benefits, but American Greetings and their workers compensation insurance carrier refused to pay her one dime. They claimed that the injury did not "arise out of her employment".

We argued that the insurance company should be ordered to pay what they owe. Unfortunately, the original judge on the case sided with the insurance company, and dismissed our lady's case. We thought that was totally wrong, so we appealed to the Kentucky Workers Compensation Board, and we won.

But the insurance company still refused to pay! Their lawyer appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, so we had to keep on fighting, and we won. But the insurance company lawyer appealed again! This time to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

We kept on fighting for our client, and we won.

If you read the opinion, it will show you just how hard insurance companies are willing to fight in order to NOT PAY BENEFITS to injured workers. Get on the internet and check out:

http://opinions.kycourts.net/sc/2010-SC-000179-WC.pdf

At the Frank Jenkins Law Office, we take pride in how hard we fight for our clients. If you hire us to handle a workers comp case, or any other type of injury case, we will fight for you as hard as we can!

Are your wages being stolen?

We all know the economy is in bad shape. People and businesses are struggling. But unfortunately, some companies are trying to raise profits by short-changing their workers.

EXAMPLE: One chain of retail stores in Kentucky has been forcing its hourly workers to “clock out” for lunch, but then continue working through their lunch hour! Each worker therefore has an hour’s work stolen from them, every day. That kind of money adds up!

This practice is highly illegal and WRONG! Several workers from the company described above contacted us and told us what was happening. So now we are filing a lawsuit against the company, and fighting to get back the workers’ wages that were stolen.

Unfortunately, this type of “wage theft” has become common among companies today. And there are many other, different ways, in which employers can rip off their workers. This is just one example of what has been happening. You may see this type of situation described as wages and hours cases.

If this type of wage theft is happening to you, I urge you to FIGHT BACK! If you or someone you know is having their wages stolen (Whether by the "lunch hour" method, or through some other scam) Give us a call!

We’ll talk to you about your situation for free, with no obligation. We will tell you honestly if we think you have a case. And as always with the Frank Jenkins Law Office, if you choose to hire us, you will owe us nothing until we win or settle your case.

So give us a call ASAP, and let us help you hold onto your hard-earned wages!