This form for use in litigation against an insurance company for bad faith breach of contract. Adapt this model form to fit your needs and specific law. Not recommended for use by non-attorney.
Declaratory Judgment Act With Insurance In Alameda
Category:
State:
Multi-State
County:
Alameda
Control #:
US-000279
Format:
Word;
Rich Text
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FAQ
For an actual controversy to be found, the plaintiff cannot be merely seeking advice from the court, but instead must show that the controversy between parties is substantial, immediate, and real and that the parties have adverse legal interests.
Any person interested under a written instrument, excluding a will or a trust, or under a contract, or who desires a declaration of his or her rights or duties with respect to another, or in respect to, in, over or upon property, or with respect to the location of the natural channel of a watercourse, may, in cases of ...
Declaratory relief, also commonly known as declaratory judgment or declaration, is a form of discretionary remedy which parties may seek from the court. A declaration is essentially a statement made by the court at the request of a party.
Typically, when filing a declaratory judgment action, insurers seek an adjudication of both their duty to defend and their duty to indemnify, because the duty to defend is broader than the duty to indemnify and, if insurers do not have the former duty, then they typically do not have the latter duty, either.
A difference of opinion must ripen into an actual concrete controversy to give rise to a justiciable case for which declaratory relief is appropriate. Furthermore, the controversy must be such as to be capable of resolution by a judgment that decrees, rather than suggests, what the parties can or cannot do.
A declaratory judgment is typically requested when a party is threatened with a lawsuit but the lawsuit has not yet been filed; or when a party or parties believe that their rights under law and/or contract might conflict; or as part of a counterclaim to prevent further lawsuits from the same plaintiff (for example, ...
An example of this in a case involving contracts would be a party seeking an interpretation of the contract to determine their rights. Another example would be an insured individual seeking a specific determination of their rights and surrounding circumstances regarding insurance coverage under a specific policy.
To bring a claim for declaratory judgment in a situation where a patent dispute may exist or develop, the claimant must establish that an actual controversy exists. If there is a substantial controversy of sufficient immediacy and reality, the court will generally proceed with the declaratory-judgment action.
A declaratory judgment is a binding judgment from a court defining the legal relationship between parties and their rights in a matter before the court. When there is uncertainty as to the legal obligations or rights between two parties, a declaratory judgment offers an immediate means to resolve this uncertainty.
The benefit of a declaratory judgment is that it prevents lawsuits that are likely to be unsuccessful, which saves the courts, and ultimately taxpayers, resources and time. A policyholder that receives an unfavorable declaratory judgment is unlikely to file a lawsuit, as the suit is much more likely to be dismissed.
