Valentino C. Messina III

Valentino  pursues auto, property, and bodily injury subrogation through  negotiation, litigation and arbitration. In New Mexico, the right of  subrogation allows an insurer who has compensated their insured to  collect what has been paid under contract, and also in the interest of  equitable principles.

Valentino  also represents clients throughout the state of New Mexico who have  been seriously injured in automobile, motorcycle and semi-truck  collisions. These claims may be brought against adverse or third party  carriers, as well as first party actions brought by a policy holder  against their own insurance company – usually through  uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) coverage. He also represents family  members who wish to pursue a wrongful death claim on behalf of a loved  one.

In addition to representing injured victims, Valentino files  bad faith claims against insurance companies, and their adjusters  individually, if they fail to bring about prompt, fair and equitable  settlements of an insured's claims in which liability has become  reasonably clear. Under New Mexico statutory and case law, unlawfully  denying insurance policy coverage or unreasonably delaying payment may  be examples of bad faith, malicious, willful, reckless, wanton, and/or  fraudulent conduct, and may subject an insurance company to punitive  damages.

Licenses
State of New Mexico
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
United States District Court, District of New Mexico
Supreme Court of the United States of America

Education
J.D., Texas Tech University, School of Law
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)