An insurance company should act as a safety net to catch policyholders when disaster strikes and they find themselves unable to financially support an emergency situation. Despite their designated function, however, many companies in the insurance industry engage in disingenuous relations with their insureds, avoiding coverage at any cost.
Insurance bad faith is a complicated area of the law that deals with an insurance company's duty to provide honest service to customers. An insurance company is acting in bad faith when it wrongfully denies benefits to the insured, usually in an attempt to avoid providing coverage.
In the State of Washington the insured is given the benefit of the doubt in virtually all circumstances, even if there is a possibility that coverage does not exist under their given policy. It is the rights of the insured, and not the insurance company, that are emphasized most strongly by Washington law.