Collins & Collins, P.C. represents families in Albuquerque and throughout New Mexico whose life insurance claims have been wrongfully denied, delayed, or rescinded. Our Albuquerque life insurance bad faith lawyers have litigated bad faith and civil rights cases in New Mexico since 1989, led by Parrish Collins. If your claim was denied, call (505) 242-5958 for a no-obligation case review.
When a life insurance company denies a valid death benefit claim, a grieving family loses the one protection the policyholder spent years building for them. Insurers count on that grief. Some use it to delay, underpay, or refuse claims they are legally required to pay.
At Collins & Collins, P.C., our Albuquerque life insurance bad faith lawyers represent families across New Mexico and Bernalillo County whose life insurance claims have been wrongfully denied, delayed, or rescinded. Parrish Collins has litigated bad faith and civil rights cases in New Mexico since 1989, going up against insurers that count on families not fighting back. No fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Our office is located at 407 7th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. If your life insurance claim was denied, call us at (505) 242-5958 or schedule a no-obligation case review today.
Life insurance bad faith occurs when an insurer denies, delays, or underpays a legitimate claim without a lawful basis. Under NMSA 1978 § 59A-16-20, New Mexico law defines specific insurer conduct that is prohibited in the claims process. When an insurer crosses that line, your family is left pursuing benefits the insurer was legally obligated to pay.
Insurers have specific tactics they use to avoid paying claims that your family is legally owed. Recognizing them is the first step toward challenging a wrongful denial.
Contestability Period Denials: If your loved one died within the first two years of the policy, the insurer may claim they misrepresented information on their application. Even minor or irrelevant discrepancies can be used to deny your claim, regardless of the actual cause of death.
Claiming Suicide: After the two-year contestability period, an insurer raising a suicide exclusion must support that claim with clear and convincing evidence. If the insurer is using ambiguous circumstances to avoid paying your family’s benefits, that conduct constitutes bad faith under NMSA 1978 § 59A-16-20.
Beneficiary Challenges: The insurer may challenge whether your designated beneficiary had the legal right to be named, or claim that changes to the beneficiary designation were not properly documented, using procedural disputes to delay or deny your claim.
When your life insurance claim is wrongfully denied or delayed, the financial protection your loved one built for you disappears at the moment you need it most. A wrongful denial does not just create immediate hardship. It strips the policyholder’s beneficiaries of the long-term financial security the policy was designed to provide.
New Mexico law does not leave the definition of bad faith to the insurer’s discretion. NMSA 1978 § 59A-16-20 defines specific prohibited practices and imposes affirmative duties on every insurance company operating in this state. Under that statute, your life insurer must:
When an insurer violates these duties, NMSA 1978 § 59A-16-30 gives you and your family a private right of action in district court to recover actual damages, costs, and attorney’s fees where the violation was willful. Your life insurance bad faith claim in New Mexico carries a four-year statute of limitations from the date of the wrongful denial. An overview of bad faith insurance law in New Mexico explains the full legal framework.
If your life insurance claim was denied or delayed, call (505) 242-5958 or schedule a case review.
A life insurance bad faith lawsuit is about more than the original death benefit. Because bad faith is a tort under New Mexico law, your potential recovery is broader than a standard contract claim.
When a wrongful denial coincides with an underlying wrongful death, your family may have grounds for both a life insurance bad faith claim and a wrongful death claim in New Mexico. Our attorneys at Collins & Collins, P.C. handle both.
When your claim is denied, the insurer controls the file, the timeline, and the narrative. Our job is to take that control away. Parrish Collins has litigated bad faith cases in New Mexico since 1989. Our firm knows how insurers build their denial defense and exactly where those defenses break down.
Contact us today for a no-obligation consultation. We will fight to ensure that the insurance company pays what is rightfully yours, so you can focus on rebuilding your life after the loss of a loved one.
Very professional & knowledgeable. Gave a very detailed description of legal proceedings. And very positive.
At Collins & Collins, P.C., Parrish Collins has litigated civil rights and bad faith cases in New Mexico since 1989. Our practice is built around records-driven analysis and selective intake. We do not accept every case. We accept cases where the insurer’s conduct was unreasonable, and your loss was real.
Trial-Ready from Day One: Every case we accept is built for litigation, not negotiation. Insurers respond differently when they know the firm across the table has tried cases and will again.
State and Federal Court Experience: We file in the Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque and the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, where jurisdiction permits.
We Know How Insurers Build Denial Cases: We know how life insurance companies document a file to justify denial, whether they are invoking the contestability period, disputing your beneficiary designation, or framing a misrepresentation argument.
Bad Faith vs. Aggressive Claims Handling: Life insurance bad faith requires understanding both insurance contract law and tort law. New Mexico’s Unfair Claims Practices Act creates a framework broader than contract breach alone. We distinguish between an insurer pushing hard on a claim and one that has crossed into a statutory violation under NMSA 1978 § 59A-16-20.
No Fee Unless We Win: We handle life insurance bad faith cases on contingency. You owe nothing unless we recover for you.
Collins & Collins, P.C. represents life insurance beneficiaries and policyholders throughout New Mexico, not just in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County. If your claim was denied and you are in Santa Fe, Rio Rancho, Las Cruces, Farmington, Roswell, or anywhere else in New Mexico, our attorneys can evaluate your case.
Cases are filed in the Second Judicial District Court in Albuquerque or in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico, where diversity jurisdiction and the amount in controversy permit federal filing. New Mexico’s Unfair Claims Practices Act applies to every life insurance company operating in this state, regardless of where you live.
Call (505) 242-5958 for a no-obligation case review.
Four years. The statute of limitations for a life insurance bad faith claim in New Mexico is four years from the date the bad faith conduct occurred. This is longer than the three-year limitation for personal injury claims.
Yes, but the insurer must conduct a genuine investigation and tie the denial to a misrepresentation that was material to the risk. Using the contestability period to avoid a large payout based on an unrelated or trivial discrepancy crosses into bad faith under NMSA 1978 § 59A-16-20.
After the two-year contestability period, an insurer raising a suicide exclusion must support that claim with clear and convincing evidence. Speculative conclusions drawn from ambiguous circumstances do not meet that standard and may constitute bad faith.
Yes, and that conduct may itself constitute bad faith. Requesting repeated submissions of the same information or imposing documentation requirements beyond what the investigation requires is a recognized unfair claims practice.
New Mexico law prohibits insurers from retaliating against a beneficiary for exercising their legal rights. If an insurer cancels unrelated coverage or penalizes your family because of a legal dispute, that conduct may itself constitute an additional bad faith claim.
Your family should not have to fight an insurance company while grieving. If your life insurance claim was wrongfully denied, delayed, or the insurer has gone silent, our attorneys are ready to review your case. We do not charge fees unless we recover for you.
Collins & Collins, P.C. is located at 407 7th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. Call (505) 242-5958 or complete the no-obligation case review form today.
Past results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Every case is different, and the value of any claim depends on its specific facts.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by negligence, medical malpractice, or injustice in New Mexico, Collins & Collins, P.C. is here to fight for the compensation you deserve. Your first conversation is always free and confidential.
Victim of Systemic Abuse?
We Can Help.
Get a confidential, no-obligation case evaluation from an experienced New Mexico systemic abuse & neglect lawyer.
Or fill out the form
"*" indicates required fields
Available 24/7 Online
Copyright © 2026 – Collins & Collins P.C. All Rights Reserved.
Past results do not guarantee any future outcome, and every case is different.