California wildfires lead to billboard warning of bad faith insurance claims

Although billboards alleging improprieties by Mercury Insurance company were recently taken down in California, the group that paid for the advertisements says there is evidence that California homeowners should be cautious about bad faith insurance claims denied by Mercury.

"Mercury is trying to block a public debate over its claims handling practices, its violations of state insurance laws and its continuous assault on consumer rights," said Harvey Rosenfield, Consumer Watchdog founder.

Consumer Watchdog paid for the advertisements as many property owners in the state remain concerned about the potential spread of wildfires throughout the southern portion of California. The ads cited fines related to weather-related damage that have been levied against the insurance company in both Florida and California over the past several years.

"Consumer Watchdog's claims about Mercury Insurance and its motivation are without merit," Mercury noted in a statement concerning the billboard removal, cited by the Los Angeles Times.

Government officials throughout the U.S. have issued findings against insurers who offer weather-based policies, with Texas Windstorm Insurance the subject of potential bad faith claim insurance complaints, according to KHOU-TV.