# Secrets of State Farm Insurance: What You Need to Know | Attorney Brian White **Table of Contents***[*Expand*]* 1. The Tricks of the Trade 2. Bad Faith Insurance Claims 3. Your Interests Coincide With Your Lawyer’s Interests 4. Contact a Houston Personal Injury Lawyer to Learn More About Personal Injury Claims ![Secrets of State Farm Insurance: What You Need To Know](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Secrets-of-State-Farm-Insurance-What-You-Need-To-Know-300x177.jpg) The fact that State Farm is a for-profit business means it cannot be, and has never been, a “good neighbor” – at least not for those who file claims against one of its policies. State Farm makes money by accepting premiums, and they lose money by paying claims. That means their interests are directly adverse to yours, making them adversaries, not neighbors. If you’ve been injured in a car accident in [Houston](https://www.houstontx.gov/), this is what you need to know. ## The Tricks of the Trade Any insurance company has a thousand tricks up its sleeve to gain an advantage in claim settlement negotiations, and State Farm is no exception. The following are just a few examples of common tactics.  ### State Farm Wants To Make Friends With You on Social Media Did you know that your social media posts constitute admissible evidence in court? Insurance companies certainly know that, and they will try to gain access to your social media accounts. Accordingly: - Don’t accept friend requests from anyone you don’t know; - Don’t talk about your case on social media; - Tell your friends not to talk about your case online; and - Don’t upload anything that could call into question the seriousness of your injuries, such as a photo of you enjoying yourself at a party. Better yet, suspend your social media accounts altogether while your claim is pending. ### State Farm Will Use Your Own Words Against You Imagine this back and forth between you and State Farm, as an example: State Farm: “Good morning” You: “Good morning” State Farm: “How are you today?” You: “I’m fine.” State Farm: “Well, if you’re fine, then you must not be as seriously injured as you say you are!” This hypothetical conversation is for illustrative purposes only. It illustrates how careful you have to be when talking to the insurance company. Assume every phone call is recorded. ### State Farm Loves To Play “Lowball” ‘Lowball’ is an easy game for an insurance company to play. Simply offer the claimant only a small fraction of what their claim is worth, hoping that they will snap it up just so they can get the money immediately.  Even if you issue a reasonable counteroffer, don’t be surprised if State Farm won’t budge at first. ### State Farm Loves To Sing Lullabies “Singing you a lullaby” means deliberately subjecting you to a series of small, meritless [claim processing](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/blog/the-insurance-claims-process/) delays. The idea is to stall you until you give up and accept their lowball offer, or accidentally miss the [statute of limitations](https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/statute_of_limitations) deadline to file a lawsuit (two years after the accident in most cases). ### State Farm Loves To Go on Fishing Expeditions An insurance company “goes on a fishing expedition” when you sign over unlimited access to medical records and they analyze them in detail, looking for something they can call a “pre-existing condition.”  They might seize upon an old [back injury](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/blog/back-injury/), for example, to assert that your current back pains were caused by your old injury, not your recent accident. ### State Farm Hates Lawyers State Farm will likely tell you that [you don’t need a lawyer for “this type of claim](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/resources/do-i-need-a-personal-injury-lawyer-if-im-submitting-a-claim-to-insurance/).” Don’t fall for it unless the value of your claims is truly negligible. Insurance adjusters frequently experience sudden “attitude adjustments” the moment they realize that you have hired a seasoned personal injury lawyer to represent you, especially if the lawyer has a reputation for winning in court. For a legal consultation call [(713) 500-5000](tel:+17135005000) ## Bad Faith Insurance Claims A [bad faith insurance claim](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/resources/bad-faith-claims/) is a separate claim that you can file against an insurance company that treated you unfairly. If you win, you win twice–once for the underlying personal injury claim, and once for the bad faith insurance claim. Most of the foregoing tactics, however, don’t qualify as “bad faith” until they reach extreme levels. ## Your Interests Coincide With Your Lawyer’s Interests The more money you make in compensation, the less money the insurance company gets to keep. With your personal injury lawyer, it‘s the opposite—the more money you make, the more your lawyer makes.  That’s because your personal injury lawyer will almost certainly work on a [contingency fee](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/resources/contingency-fee/) basis. This means that they will receive a percentage of your compensation as their legal fees. That, more than anything else, is what puts you on the same side as your lawyer. [Click to contact](/contact-us/) us today ## Contact a Houston Personal Injury Lawyer to Learn More About Personal Injury Claims Our offices Houston — Greenway/Upper Kirby 3120 Southwest Freeway, Suite 350 Houston, TX 77098 Open 24 hours daily Call [(713) 364-1466](tel:+17133641466) [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Attorney%20Brian%20White%20Personal%20Injury%20Lawyers%2C%203120%20Southwest%20Freeway%2C%20Suite%20350%2C%20Houston%2C%20TX%2077098) Houston — East Freeway 11811 East Freeway, Suite 630-06 Houston, TX 77029 Open 24 hours daily Call [(713) 609-1893](tel:+17136091893) [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Attorney%20Brian%20White%20Personal%20Injury%20Lawyers%2C%2011811%20East%20Freeway%2C%20Suite%20630-06%2C%20Houston%2C%20TX%2077029) Houston — South Loop 2600 South Loop West, Suite 293 Houston, TX 77054 Open 24 hours daily Call [(713) 281-4904](tel:+17132814904) [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Attorney%20Brian%20White%20Personal%20Injury%20Lawyers%2C%202600%20South%20Loop%20West%2C%20Suite%20293%2C%20Houston%2C%20TX%2077054) Houston — Katy Freeway 11511 Katy Fwy, Suite 515 Houston, TX 77079 Open 24 hours daily Call [(713) 909-7537](tel:+17139097537) [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Attorney%20Brian%20White%20Personal%20Injury%20Lawyers%2C%2011511%20Katy%20Fwy%2C%20Suite%20515%2C%20Houston%2C%20TX%2077079) Houston — Clear Lake 1300 Bay Area Blvd, Suite B268 Houston, TX 77058 By appointment only Call [(936) 508-2854](tel:+19365082854) [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Attorney%20Brian%20White%20Personal%20Injury%20Lawyers%2C%201300%20Bay%20Area%20Blvd%2C%20Suite%20B268%2C%20Houston%2C%20TX%2077058) The Woodlands 1776 Woodstead Ct, Ste. 203 The Woodlands, TX 77380 By appointment only Call [(281) 843-9777](tel:+12818439777) [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Attorney%20Brian%20White%20Personal%20Injury%20Lawyers%2C%201776%20Woodstead%20Ct%2C%20Ste.%20203%2C%20The%20Woodlands%2C%20TX%2077380) Champion Forest (Cypress) 4606 FM 1960 Rd W, Ste. 444 Houston, TX 77069 By appointment only Call [(281) 843-9777](tel:+12818439777) [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Attorney%20Brian%20White%20Personal%20Injury%20Lawyers%2C%204606%20FM%201960%20Rd%20W%2C%20Ste.%20444%2C%20Houston%2C%20TX%2077069) --- ### About the Author Brian White ![About the Author Brian White](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/brian-white-houston-personal-injury-lawyer-300x300.jpg) [Brian White](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/about/our-attorneys/brian-white/) earned his J.D. from South Texas College of Law in Houston and is licensed to practice in Texas. He is a [Board-Certified](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/resources/brian-white-is-board-certified-in-personal-injury-trial-law/) Personal Injury Trial Lawyer. Dedicated to giving back, he actively supports local charities and [community initiatives](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/about/community-involvement/). [Client testimonials](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/about/testimonials/) highlight Brian’s compassion, open communication, and dedication to achieving the best outcomes for those he represents. 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If you were hurt because of another driver’s [![Car Accidents Caused By Brake Checking in Houston](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Car-Accidents-Caused-By-Brake-Checking-in-Houston-300x200.jpg)](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/blog/car-accidents-caused-by-brake-checking-in-houston/) [Car Accidents Caused By Brake Checking in Houston](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/blog/car-accidents-caused-by-brake-checking-in-houston/) Brake checking while traffic is congested can affect even the best of drivers. Even when there is no traffic, a [![Sideswipe Collisions: Deceptively Dangerous](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Sideswipe-Collisions-Deceptively-Dangerous-300x200.jpg)](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/blog/sideswipe-collisions-deceptively-dangerous/) [Sideswipe Collisions: Deceptively Dangerous](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/blog/sideswipe-collisions-deceptively-dangerous/) Sideswipe collisions are deceptively dangerous. Many people may not be aware that same-side crashes are associated [![5 Things You Need to Know About Going to the Emergency Room After a Car Accident in Houston Texas](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/5-Things-You-Need-to-Know-About-Going-to-the-Emergency-Room-After-a-Car-Accident-in-Houston-Texas-300x169.jpg)](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/blog/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-going-to-the-emergency-room-after-a-car-accident/) [5 Things You Need to Know About Going to the Emergency Room After a Car Accident](https://attorneybrianwhite.com/blog/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-going-to-the-emergency-room-after-a-car-accident/) When a person is seriously injured in a car accident it is very common for them to be taken to an emergency room for --- Source: https://attorneybrianwhite.com/blog/secrets-of-state-farm-insurance-what-you-need-to-know/