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Neil Anapol

Neil Anapol

Law Offices of Neil R. Anapol
  • Insurance Claims, Legal Malpractice, Employment Law ...
  • California
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Claimed Lawyer ProfileQ&AResponsive Law
Biography

For almost 32 years, I have represented consumers and small business owners in lawsuits against insurance companies, insurance agents, banks, government entities, and attorneys. My practice is primarily focused on protecting people and businesses against insurance industry abuses. Over the years I have handled numerous cases involving non-payment or underpayment of homeowners claims and commercial property claims; insurers that refuse to defend liability claims; and insurers that unreasonably delay or deny uninsured motorist and automobile property claims.

Practice Areas
    Insurance Claims
    Bad Faith Insurance, Business Insurance, Disability Insurance, Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Motor Vehicle Insurance, Property Insurance
    Legal Malpractice
    Employment Law
    Employee Benefits, Employment Contracts, Employment Discrimination, ERISA, Overtime & Unpaid Wages, Sexual Harassment, Whistleblower, Wrongful Termination
    Appeals & Appellate
    Civil Appeals, Federal Appeals
    Personal Injury
    Animal & Dog Bites, Brain Injury, Car Accidents, Construction Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents, Premises Liability, Truck Accidents, Wrongful Death
    Business Law
    Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Finance, Business Formation, Business Litigation, Franchising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnership & Shareholder Disputes
    Real Estate Law
    Commercial Real Estate, Condominiums, Easements, Eminent Domain, Homeowners Association, Land Use & Zoning, Mortgages, Neighbor Disputes, Residential Real Estate, Water Law
Additional Practice Area
  • Insurance Bad Faith
Fees
  • Free Consultation
    I give free initial consultations on contingency fee cases.
  • Contingent Fees
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
California
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Professional Experience
Attorney
Law Offices of Neil R. Anapol
- Current
Litigation attorney specializing in insurance bad faith, professional negligence, and employment litigation on behalf of consumers and employees.
Education
University California Los Angeles School of Law
J.D. (1988) | Moot Court
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Northwestern University
M.A. (1984) | Communications and Rhetoric
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Northwestern University
B.S. (1984) | Debate and Rhetoric
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Professional Associations
Consumer Attorney Association of Los Angeles
member
- Current
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California State Bar  # 141764
Member
- Current
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Websites & Blogs
Website
Law Offices of Neil R. Anapol
Legal Answers
28 Questions Answered
Q. What do I do for an insurance company causing me to accumulate 1600$ dollars in tow fees after telling me they would?
A: Fred Loya is by far the worst insurance company I have ever dealt with, and I have been practicing law for 35 years. I would not waste my time negotiating with them. Instead, file a small claims court lawsuit against the driver who hit your car (assuming the damages are $10,000 or less). You should be able to recover the towing, storage, repair, and loss of use damages. Loss of use is the fair rental value of your car (probably somewhere between $20 and $60 per day). You will win your small claims case, and Fred Loya will be obligated to pay at least up to the policy limit (which could be as low as $6,000).

If you have collision coverage, you should have put it through your own insurance. You still might be able to go that route. If you do, your insurance company will pay you what it owes you less the deductible, and get its money back from Fred Loya. When that happens, you get your deductible back. ... Read More
Q. Is it normal for at fault insurance (not me) to deduct from my settlement amount for excessive damage for a totaled car?
A: If you have collision coverage, make a claim on your own insurance and stop dealing with the other driver's insurer. Your insurer will total the car, pay you the fair market value, and then get the money back from the other driver's insurers including the deductible.

If you do not have collision coverage, show the other driver's insurer several comparable vehicle listings and/or the Kelly Blue Book price and demand that it pay that amount. If it won't negotiate, consider suing the other driver in small claims court if the value of the vehicle is $10,000 or less.
Q. Can I sue my insurance company? Can I only sue for the limit of my coverage?
A: There are basically two possibilities. One is that there is a legitimate coverage issue that your insurance company is investigating. Usually, when that happens, the insurance company will let you know in writing that there may not be coverage, and therefore it will not pay your claim immediately (if at all). A legitimate coverage issue could be that some exclusion in the policy applies which takes away coverage, or the insurance company believes you made a misrepresentation when you applied for coverage.

The other possibility is that the insurance company is handling your claim (and the claims of third parties) in bad faith. If your insurer committing bad faith, you should retain counsel immediately. You may be able to work out a deal with the party you hit to assign all or part of your bad faith claim in exchange for an agreement not to collect against you. Your first party claim (for damage to your car) might also have significant value as a bad faith case if you were inconvenienced, suffered financial damage, or experienced emotional distress because of your insurance company's bad faith tactics. ... Read More
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Contact & Map
2550 N Hollywood Way
Burbank, CA 91505
Telephone: (818) 566-7355
Fax: (818) 566-7875