This form for use in litigation against an insurance company for bad faith breach of contract. Adapt this model form to fit your needs and specific law. Not recommended for use by non-attorney.
This form for use in litigation against an insurance company for bad faith breach of contract. Adapt this model form to fit your needs and specific law. Not recommended for use by non-attorney.
The court would then interpret the contract and define the rights of both parties, offering a legal resolution without the need for a traditional lawsuit. Declaratory judgments are powerful because they provide clarity without requiring one party to be in breach of a contract or to have committed a legal violation.
A common way of eliminating this uncertainty is with a declaratory judgment action, also called a declaration. This is a court-issued judgment that has the court clarify and affirm any rights, obligations and responsibilities of one or more parties involved in insurance litigation or other civil disputes.
The statute of limitations for breach of contract and the declaratory judgment is generally four years from the date of the accident. The Personal Injury Trial Law protection claim statute of limitations is often defined by an insurance contract.
Typically, when filing a declaratory judgment action, insurers seek an adjudication of both their duty to defend and their duty to indemnify, because the duty to defend is broader than the duty to indemnify and, if insurers do not have the former duty, then they typically do not have the latter duty, either.
A declaratory judgment is “a binding adjudication that establishes the rights and other legal relations of the parties without providing for or ordering enforcement.” (Black Law Dictionary, 11th ed.)
The benefit of a declaratory judgment is that it prevents lawsuits that are likely to be unsuccessful, which saves the courts, and ultimately taxpayers, resources and time. A policyholder that receives an unfavorable declaratory judgment is unlikely to file a lawsuit, as the suit is much more likely to be dismissed.