Parisi Law Firm represents Northeast Georgia businesses and contractors against their own insurers — denied or underpaid property and liability claims, disputed workers' compensation premium audits, and bad-faith conduct. Jerry Parisi built his practice fighting insurance companies, including taking a business owner's disputed premium case to a jury and defeating it entirely. Georgia law gives policyholders real leverage against insurers who won't pay in good faith. Call (404) 594-5130.
Businesses buy insurance to transfer risk. But when a loss actually happens — a fire, a theft, a liability claim, a storm-damaged jobsite — the insurer's interests and yours suddenly point in opposite directions. The same is true when an insurer's premium audit lands on your desk claiming you owe thousands more than you were quoted. In both cases, the company writing the check is the one deciding whether, and how much, to pay.
Parisi Law Firm represents Georgia business owners and contractors on the policyholder's side of these disputes. Jerry Parisi has spent his career litigating against insurance companies and knows how they evaluate, delay, and defend claims — knowledge that works just as well for a business fighting a denied claim or an inflated premium bill as it does for an injured person.
Denied and underpaid business claims
A denial letter is not the last word. Insurers deny and underpay legitimate business claims for all kinds of reasons — disputed causation, policy exclusions read as broadly as possible, alleged late notice, or a valuation that doesn't come close to your actual loss. Many of those denials don't hold up once someone reads the policy carefully and pushes back.
We handle first-party disputes on the coverage business owners actually carry, and we hold insurers to the policy language and to Georgia law.
- Commercial property and business-owner's policy (BOP) claims
- Business interruption and lost-income claims
- Commercial general liability coverage and duty-to-defend disputes
- Commercial auto and equipment claims
- Builder's risk and jobsite loss claims for contractors
Workers' compensation premium and audit disputes
One of the most common — and most expensive — surprises for a contractor is a workers' compensation premium audit. After the policy period, the insurer audits your payroll and subcontractor usage and issues a bill for additional premium, often on the theory that subcontractors you treated as independent were really employees who should have been covered.
These bills can run into six figures, and insurers pursue them aggressively. But an audit is a position, not a verdict. We scrutinize how the auditor classified your workers, whether the subcontractors carried their own coverage, and whether the additional premium is actually owed — and we're prepared to take it to trial. Jerry Parisi defended exactly this kind of case for a small-business owner sued for $265,000 in back premiums, tried it to a jury, and the jury found the insurer was owed nothing.
Insurance bad faith in Georgia
Georgia law doesn't just require insurers to pay valid claims — it penalizes those who refuse to pay in bad faith. Under O.C.G.A. § 33-4-6, if an insurer refuses to pay a first-party claim in bad faith, and the policyholder makes a proper written demand and waits the required 60 days before suing, the insurer can be liable not only for the claim itself but for an additional penalty of up to 50% of the loss plus reasonable attorney's fees.
That statute is real leverage. It changes the math for an insurer that's stonewalling a legitimate claim, because continued delay now carries a price. We evaluate whether your situation supports a bad-faith demand and use it where it applies.
Reading the policy — and the fine print insurers rely on
Insurance disputes are won and lost in the language of the policy: the insuring agreement, the exclusions, the endorsements, the conditions, and the deadlines. Insurers know these documents cold and count on the fact that most business owners don't. We read the policy the way the insurer's lawyers do, identify where the company's position is weak, and build the claim around the coverage you actually paid for.
The sooner we're involved, the better — notice deadlines, proof-of-loss requirements, and suit-limitation clauses can all quietly cut off a valid claim if they're missed.
A firm that actually takes insurers to trial
Insurance companies settle differently with a lawyer they know will try a case. Jerry Parisi built his reputation doing exactly that — and that trial-readiness is just as valuable to a business fighting a denied claim or a disputed premium as it is to an injured client. We don't file as a bluff, and we don't fold under pressure to accept less than your business is owed.
If your business is dealing with a denied claim, a premium audit dispute, or an insurer acting in bad faith anywhere in Northeast Georgia, call Parisi Law Firm at (404) 594-5130.
Frequently Asked Questions
My business insurance claim was denied. Is that final?
No. A denial is the insurer's position, not the last word. Insurers deny and underpay legitimate claims for many reasons that don't survive a careful reading of the policy and Georgia law. We review the denial, the policy language, and the facts, and push back when the denial doesn't hold up.
My workers' comp insurer sent me a huge premium audit bill. Do I have to pay it?
Not automatically. A premium audit is the insurer's position based on how it classified your payroll and subcontractors — and it can be wrong. We examine whether your subcontractors carried their own coverage and whether the additional premium is actually owed. Jerry Parisi has taken a disputed premium case to a jury and defeated it entirely.
What is insurance bad faith in Georgia?
Under O.C.G.A. § 33-4-6, if an insurer refuses to pay a first-party claim in bad faith and the policyholder makes a proper written demand and waits 60 days before filing suit, the insurer can be liable for the loss plus a penalty of up to 50% and attorney's fees. It's meaningful leverage against an insurer that won't pay a legitimate claim.
Does Parisi Law Firm represent businesses or insurance companies?
We represent policyholders — businesses and contractors — against insurance companies. Our entire approach is built on the policyholder's side of the dispute, holding insurers to the coverage you paid for.
How soon should I contact a lawyer about an insurance dispute?
As early as possible. Policies contain notice deadlines, proof-of-loss requirements, and suit-limitation clauses that can cut off a valid claim if they're missed. Getting a lawyer involved early protects those deadlines and strengthens your position before you've said or signed something the insurer can use.