Insult to Injury Insurance, Fraud, and the Big Business of Bad Faith

Insult to Injury tells the story of how a disabled single mother named Joan Hangarter fought back against a fraudulent insurance behemoth'and won. Author Ray Bourhis, Hangarter's attorney in the case, walks readers through this shocking case study in bad faith double- dealing by insurance providers. In an engaging narrative style, Bourhis reveals the back-room strategic mind-set that drives these illegal practices. He also explains the key regulatory oversights that enable these kinds of practices to continue. Insult to Injury closes with a roadmap to reform'advice no one who holds a policy can afford to ignore.

Ray bourhis is a partner with the law firm of bourhis & Wolfson in San Francisco, California, specializing in insurance bad-faith litigation. A graduate of Boalt Hall at the University of California, Berkeley, Bourhis has been a court-appointed Special Master overseeing reforms in the California Department of Insurance and was appointed by U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer to her Federal Judicial Selection Advisory Committee. He was recently profiled by Ed Bradley in a 60 Minutes report concerning fraudulent insurance practices. Born and raised in Elmhurst, Queens, Bourhis credits an attempt by gang members to throw him into a blazing bonfire at the age of twelve with helping him develop the survival skills needed to deal with insurance companies. He lives in Kentfield, California.

Introduction
False Profits
Licensed to Steal
So Sue Me
Go Figure
The Seventh Amendment
Open Fire...
So Help Me God
Pinpricks and Pretexts
Customer Care
Fact or Fiction
...Some with a Fountain Pen
A Message
Liar’s Dice
Friends in High Places
Kick in the Assets
Claims Games
Afterword
Exhibits
Further Reading
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
About the Author