VEXATIOUS DELAY

vexatious delay. An insurance company’s unjustifiable refusal to satisfy an insurance claim, esp. based on a mere suspicion but no hard facts that the claim is ill-founded. — Also termed vexatious refusal to pay; refusal to pay. [Cases: Insurance 3336. C.J.S. Insurance §§ 1163, 1342, 1576, 1578–1581.]