Your Claim Was Denied. These Are Your Next Moves

By Diana Caldwell, Insurance Defence Lawyer. A denial letter is not the end of your claim — it is the opening move in a negotiation. Insurers deny first and review properly only when pressed. Here is the sequence that gets claims paid.

1. Read the reason, then read the policy

Denials must cite a specific policy provision. Pull your full policy (not the summary) and check whether the cited exclusion actually covers your facts. In our experience, roughly a third of denials misapply the exclusion.

2. Freeze the evidence

Photograph everything, keep damaged property until the claim concludes, and save every letter and call log. Gaps in documentation are the second most common reason valid claims fail.

3. Appeal in writing, on their clock

Most policies give you a short window — often 30 to 60 days — to demand an internal appeal. Miss it and you hand the insurer a procedural defence. Send it recorded, keep proof.

4. Get counsel before you accept a “final offer”

Lowball offers arrive dressed as final decisions. Under Massachusetts law, unfair claim practices carry penalties — which is why represented claims settle higher. A lawyer's letter changes the arithmetic on their side.

Denied or underpaid? Read how we reversed a denied fire claim in this case study, then send us your denial letter.